Prince of Damonen
by Pinkshuchan
Summary: Akihiko is a prince that abandoned his throne for freedom. In order to be truly free from demons summoned by his older brother, hunting him down, he must travel through the six continents of Elementar and defeat his brother. However, in order to succeed, Akihiko must master the power of the five different elements by obtaining an ally of each element. Will he be able to succeed?
1. Exiled Prince

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hi everyone, my name is Pinkshuchan but you all can call me Shu. I've mostly been writing Gravitation fanstories, but I haven't been working on them all too much and I had this idea that just wouldn't leave my head so I decided to stop one of my stories for now and continue once I feel inspired again. Anyways, the fanstory that I had an idea of was for Junjou Romantica as I felt like writing one for a change. I don't own Junjou Romantica or its characters. It belongs to Shungiku Nakamura. Now without further adieu, I give you Prince of Damonen. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Exiled Prince

Elementar; a world so different yet so similar to ours. It is a place with people so similar yet so different to us. They live by traditions and different cultures and live in different continents separated from each other and yet they live together as if they lived into one. The continents were large sections of land which contained people that knew something that we may never know ourselves.

They knew how to connect with the elements and use that power to improve their lives.

Six different continents create Elementar. It is because of these different continents that people were able to live in harmony. They were separate and yet acted like the people from everywhere were their next door neighbours. Each continent was different with climate and terrain and yet no one cared. The continents were Feuern the Fire Continent, Ozean the Water Continent, Kurbeln the Wind Continent, Erden the Earth Continent, Stahlern the Metal Continent, and Damonen the Void Continent. Out of all the continents, most of the power belonged to Damonen. The people that lived there, especially the royalty, were feared because of the powers they had.

They were able to create demons, creatures that take any shape or size that can only be controlled by the most powerful.

The current ruler of Damonen was not a tyrant but neither was he a saint. He ruled with just and made sure to make everything right, whether it was to make the people of Damonen happy or to make those from the other continents happy. He lent all his summoned demons to serve to protect the people of Elementar. But at the moment, he had a problem; a problem he was not sure how to solve.

He watched through a crystal ball as he saw the latest demons he had summoned wander through the continent of Feuern, considered to be a fiery wasteland of red soil and a volcano that looked like it reached the sky. The ground burned on the demons' feet and the steam made their eyes sting but this did not bother them one bit. They were determined to succeed their goal and prove stronger than the demons that took this challenge before them. They continued their way through the red wasteland, searching their target, when something strange appeared before them.

A small light brown bear with tiny violet bat wings was flying around a small distance from the demons, as if trying to get their attention. The demons eyed the weird looking flying creature and began walking over to it. The creature itself appeared harmless. It didn't show any signs that would say otherwise.

Little did these demons know that it was all part of the plan.

A swift jump kick hit one of the demons at the side of the head before they could react. They all looked and saw their target before them. A young man stood there, smirking and chuckling, as if making fun of the demons. The demons roared in fury and began charging at the young man, but he was smarter and dodged by jumping high in the air followed by a front flip. The young man turned around the moment his feet hit the burning hot ground and with all his energy focused into his hands and smacked the demons' backs with his palms. The demons evaporated into dark mist and disappeared from the air.

The young man sighed as he began to relax. The demons were gone now but he knew they would return. They would always return to take his life. A squeak sounded beside him, letting him know of the small bear with wings' presence. The young man smiled; dark violet eyes glittering with pride, and ruffled the fur on the bear's head.

"You did really well today Suzuki," said the young man; his voice a deep baritone, "We live again for another day."

The bear, Suzuki, gave a squeak of satisfaction and flew around his master in joy. They began heading away from the battlefield and found a nice cave to sleep in. The young man took off his black tank top, exposing his toned chest gleaming with sweat from the battle, and hung it up. He sat down and relaxed, leaning back and closing his eyes, knowing he didn't have to do anymore fighting for the day.

"I thought for sure you would've been defeated today."

The young man opened his eyes to see an illusion of a head with a familiar face floating above him. Suzuki growled at the face, indicating that he wasn't the only one that saw it. The head sighed.

"Those demons weren't weak," the head continued, "They are considered Level 3. They are the halfway point to complete strength."

But the young man closed his eyes again. "Funny that you would be talking with me as if we were close," he replied, "You _did_ almost try to kill me, Ruler of Damonen."

"I don't really think you're all that great to talk with either Akihiko," said the head, "However after you left Damonen, I was left to clean up your mess. No matter where you go, you are still a prince of Damonen, and by abandoning your throne you signed a warrant on your head for my demons, determined to kill you and banish you from existance. They will even do horrible things to those that try to help you. Remember what happened the last time someone tried to help you."

The young man named Akihiko lowered his head, silver bangs covering the hurt in his violet eyes. "It will never happen again. I made sure to isolate myself from everyone. I'm used to being alone anyways. I will do anything if it means to free myself from that accursed place people would assume as my home."

The ruler's head looked at Akihiko and gave an annoyed sigh. As much as he didn't like the silver haired man and how much of a non pleasing person he was to talk to, he didn't want this cat and mouse chase to continue. He had more important things he needed to do rather than this nonsense, like creating things that would bring people joy and happiness.

"Akihiko, give me three days and I may be able to find a compromise so I can finally have some peace and you can have your freedom," the ruler told him.

Akihiko looked back at the head. "Why three days?" he asked, "Why not just give me my freedom now?"

"Unlike you, I actually plan to do something that follows the steps of our ancestors," the ruler snapped, "One of us has to follow our family's footsteps and I know it's not going to be you. You either wait three days or we'll continue our little 'game' for another 13 years."

The silver haired man rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright! Does that mean that you will be calling your demons off?"

"No," said the ruler bluntly, "Who knows? During the next three days my demons may actually succeed in killing you."

Suzuki, who had enough of the ruler's insults on his master, flew up to the head and fighting while failing to deal any damage. Akihiko stood up and took Suzuki in his arms, calming the little bear.

The head stared at the bear. "One thing I do not understand is why, out of all the demons you can summon, you choose to summon that little thing?" he continued, "He is a Level 1 demon, the weakest of all demons. He can never protect you against a horde like a Level 5 demon can."

"Suzuki may be a Level 1 in strength," Akihiko began, "But he is a Level 5 in loyalty. He is the only one I can rely on as I live in a lonely world, fighting for what I truly want; something you may never know how to do, Haruhiko."

Haruhiko was silent from Akihiko's response. He rarely heard anything like that said to him. But then again, he expected nothing less from Akihiko, who dreamed that fighting for something would always get him what he wanted. He gave another sigh. "Your hold on fantasy may lead to your death eventually. Three days Akihiko, and I may find something that may work for the both of us. But I am not doing this for you. I have more important things to do than deal with my baby brother."

And before another breath was made, the head disappeared. Akihiko sighed and sat back down with a sigh. A tiny whimper left Suzuki as he stared up at his master; worried of anything happening to him. The silver haired man looked down at his small companion and smiled, patting his head. "You don't have to worry Suzuki," Akihiko assured him, "I won't be defeated by him and his demon armies." And slowly, Akihiko found himself slipping into a deep sleep. He dreamt of himself flying in the sky, free of any worry or danger. He wanted that dream to come true, even if he had to put his life on the line.

Damonen, although the most powerful of the continents, was also the most strict. The people that resided there had to follow the traditions or the consequences would be vital, whether it was being exiled or having a part of you chopped off or even death. This rule applied for the royal family as well. Haruhiko and Akihiko were the princes of Damonen and were depended on for following these rules. Haruhiko, being the eldest and the wisest, followed the rules without question. But Akihiko, who wanted free will, refused to take responsibility. He left Damonen, determined to break all ties of his royal blood and to live in freedom.

But his actions weren't meant to go unpunished. Haruhiko, who was given the titles of King of Damonen and Emperor of Elementar, was also given the order to deal with his brother, and give him the punishment of death in abandoning his role as prince. And, as he always did, Haruhiko followed that order.

This continued for 13 years; Akihiko defeating every demon Haruhiko would send and Haruhiko determined to follow through with his role of king. Although considered enemies, Haruhiko would always send an illusion of himself to talk reason into Akihiko, but the younger brother would not let his dreams go, and no amount of persuading; whether physical or reasoning, would make him change his mind. Now, Haruhiko was determined to find an end to this. With every rule, there was always a loophole, and Akihiko's sentence was no exception. During the three days he promised Akihiko, Haruhiko searched through every rule of Damonen, finding the loophole that may save Akihiko's life and Haruhiko's sanity.

On the final of the three days, Haruhiko found that loophole. He knew that this would put an end to everything and the older brother could be rid of his brother for good, whether it ended with the latter dead or alive.

**Pinkshuchan: Well, that was the first chapter. The story will obviously get better the farther in we get. If you're wondering about the names of the continents and the world, they are all German words as I thought that German names would sound lovely for this story. What is it that Haruhiko found that may help him and Akihiko? Read and Review!**


	2. The Way To Freedom

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! This is Pinkshuchan! For those wondering about if there will be any romance in this story, yes there will be, but it's not the main focus. It will have all three couples but not right away. If you all can be patient and just enjoy the story, then you will see them. But for now, plot! Also, this story is rated M for future content. Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The Way to Freedom

Three days had passed since Haruhiko and Akihiko had 'talked', and as promised Akihiko waited. He did not travel to someplace new and make it hard for his older brother to find him. He stayed in the wastelands of Feuern, fighting demons still sent to kill him with the help of Suzuki. Akihiko was determined to receive his freedom away from Damonen by any means necessary. But he could not help but wonder; what was Haruhiko planning?

Akihiko returned to the cave he had considered his home for the past three days and sat there, waiting for the illusion of the head of his intolerable older brother to greet him and explain what he had found. But even as he was waiting, he was sceptical about the whole thing still. Haruhiko's idea of giving them what they want could be for one of them to surrender, which neither brother wanted to do.

But the silver haired man did not have a choice.

Like his brother, he too wanted this all to end. It was not like he enjoyed having to fight demons everywhere he went. It was not like he enjoyed a life of bloodshed, walking through blood trails alone. Although used to the feeling of being alone with the exception of having Suzuki around, it did not mean he didn't want someone walking beside him. But fighting the demons made it impossible, meaning he would have to push them all away from him until he obtained his freedom.

He didn't want _that_ to happen again.

As expected, the illusion of Haruhiko's head appeared before Akihiko again. The latter expected him to say that the only way to end would be surrender. It was a complete surprise with what the ruler of Damonen had to say.

"For the past three days, I have searched for a loophole on your abandonment to the throne and I finally found something that shall allow the laws to excuse your inexcusable behaviour. It will not matter if you survive or not; I'll get the peace I want once this is over.

"In order to obtain proper freedom, you must travel through all six continents; Damonen being the last to reach. It is possible you might skip through all the continents and go straight to Damonen. If that's the case, you must bring proof that you have gone to the other continents before heading to Damonen. As proof that you have gone through all six continents, you must bring with you a flame that never goes out from Feuern, water that has never been tainted from Ozean, a bag of furious wind that has never been opened from Kurbeln, a flower that never dies from Erden, and a metal ore that never breaks from Stahlern.

"Once you have gone through all the continents and reach Damonen with all those objects in hand, you must defeat the current ruler of Damonen, which is me, in a battle determining strength and wit. If you are to defeat me, your freedom shall be passed to you. If not, I am to do with you as I please, which means I am allowed to execute you and you have no choice but to accept it."

"So all I have to do is go through all those continents, gets those items you mentioned, and then defeat you when I reach Damonen?" asked Akihiko, "That shouldn't be too hard."

"But do not forget Akihiko," Haruhiko continued, "Your freedom is out of reach until you succeed. The demons will still chase after you and take your life. One wrong move and it is the end for you. I must admit that I am curious if you are able to do this. Although you have been able to survive against my demons in the past, they grow stronger day by day until their strength surpasses even you. It would take a lot to be able to survive that and still be well enough to fight me. But I honestly don't care if you survive or not. Either way, I won't have to deal with you anymore once this is all over."

And once again, without another sound, the illusion of Haruhiko's head disappeared. Akihiko sighed in relief. He was glad it wasn't a surrender idea. Still, he could not help but worry about what Haruhiko has said. Normally, he never gave a damn to what his older brother thought, but he had noticed it for a while. The demons slowly have been growing stronger. It was slow but Akihiko could sense it. He began to question his chance of survival against the demons. But he couldn't give up. He wanted his freedom and he knew that if he believed, he could get it. If he kept up what he had done for the past 13 years, he would surely win his freedom.

Back at Damonen Palace, Haruhiko sighed. He finally found what he was looking for and was relieved to finally see this coming to an end. It wouldn't be long before he would be able to rule over Damonen and the rest of Elementar in peace without any trouble from his younger brother.

"Is something wrong Lord Haruhiko?"

Haruhiko looked over to see a tall older man dressed completely in black bowing before him. The Ruler of Damonen's stern face did not alter. "Everything is perfectly fine Tanaka," he replied, "I had just finished talking with Akihiko. We are ending this."

The man, Tanaka, looked back up, his face not daring to hide his fear. "What do you mean by that Lord Haruhiko?" he asked in worry, "You do not mean that Prince Akihiko will be surrendering his life! Or will he be returning to the throne like he should?"

The ruler of Damonen would not answer. Instead, he only passed Tanaka a book with a bookmark on a certain page. The older man took the book from his master and opened it to the right page, only to be staring at it in shock. "Lord Haruhiko! You don't mean…!"

"Akihiko is stubborn enough to want his freedom; to break his leash from Damonen," Haruhiko explained, "Even if he _does_ break his leash, he will always be a Prince of Damonen. But at least this way, he can try to earn his freedom."

"But there is a high chance that Prince Akihiko will lose his life!" cried Tanaka, "Please Lord Haruhiko! Surely there must be some other way!"

Haruhiko only sat in his throne, proud and respectable. "This is the only way for Akihiko to win his freedom. Besides, I don't care if he lives or dies after this. All I know is that after this, it is all over." And so, Haruhiko continued to rule comfortably in his throne, while Tanaka deeply worried for the young prince given such a dangerous task.

The night in Feuern would be dark if not for the occasional spark of light from flames that would rise from the ground. Akihiko slept in the cave safely with Suzuki in his arms. The silver haired man and his bear friend were perfectly calm; protected from anything that may come after them.

But it didn't last for long.

Recurring thoughts of the task at hand brought Akihiko unease. They refused to help him sleep easy for the big day ahead of him. After a long fight with his uneasiness, he decided to just get up and clear his head. The demons will grow stronger every day. Will Akihiko take them on? He assured himself that he could. He always managed to defeat them before they ended up too powerful anyways. But then it occurred to him that some of the demons may be hiding; raising their strength until they could defeat Akihiko in one blow. How can he defeat them all by himself?

It's true that as Prince of Damonen, Akihiko can summon demons, especially powerful ones to defeat him. However, unlike Haruhiko who trained day and night to be able to summon demons at ease, Akihiko always skipped on the training. As a result, although he can summon powerful demons, it takes a lot of energy just to summon them. The only demons he could summon were level 1 and level 2 demons without losing such energy. However, he doubted that any of the level 1s and 2s could defeat level 5s so easily.

But even so, he couldn't give up. His freedom was right within his grasp. Sure, it would be tougher than it has been, but he only needed to grow stronger and let his determination win him that freedom. He will search for the five items in the five continents and return to Damonen to win against his brother. He had to!

"Hmm, nice place you got here."

Akihiko slightly jumped to the voice of another in the cave with him. Obviously it was not Suzuki. The tiny bear was still sleeping. He turned around to see a hooded figure standing there, glancing around.

"You know, personally this is not to my taste," the figure continued, "I prefer much more… classier places whenever I'm hiding in a spot temporarily. Oh well! Different people have different tastes. Obviously someone like you prefers this lifestyle."

"Who are you?" Akihiko snapped at the hooded figure, "Are you a demon sent by Haruhiko?"

The hooded figure looked at Akihiko as if in anger. "What? Me? A demon? As if! I don't live as low as them," The figure snapped its fingers and a fan appeared in its hands. "It's really hot here. Has no one ever heard of air conditioning?"

The silver haired man fell back in shock. "How… How did you do that? I've never seen anyone summon a fan! A demon, obviously, but not an inanimate object!"

"There's a lot you don't know, my dear Akihiko," said the figure.

"And how do you know my name? Are you from Damonen?"

The figure just looked at him in annoyance. "What, you wanna play this guessing game all night? I thought you would possibly want some help in making your freedom a reality."

This got all of Akihiko's attention. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, "I can get through all of this all by myself."

But this did not impress the hooded figure. "Yes, sure you can," the figure replied sarcastically, "And I am your fairy godmother who will take you to the castle in style. Actually, being a beautiful fairy godmother wouldn't be so bad. But that's beside the point! You keep up that mind of thinking and you'll never get your freedom. Well, you would but not in the way you want it to be. But oh well! You don't listen to me, you get the items and reach Damonen to fight your brother, you die, everyone is happy. Goodbye!" The figure was slowly disappearing into the night.

"Wait, wait, wait!" the silver haired man cried out.

The figure returned. "Yes?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" asked Akihiko, his tone unbelieving, "You just come here and say you know how to ensure my freedom from Damonen? What's your proof?"

Before Akihiko could even blink, the figure was close to his face in fury. "Listen here you stupid excuse of a prince! I blew off my hair appointment just to come to your rescue! Trust me; you look under this hood, my hair makes Medusa look like Aphrodite!"

The silver haired man was confused. "Who are they?"

But that didn't make the hooded figure any happier. On the contrary, the figure looked like it was one step closer to murdering him. "My point is that I busted my way here to help you get your fucking freedom and maybe have some more wonderful stuff along the way, and you don't even appreciate it! You're going to listen to what I say, you're going to _do_ what I say, AND YOU'RE GOING TO WIN YOUR FUCKING FREEDOM AND HAVE A FUCKING HAPPILY EVER AFTER! UNDERSTAND YOU FUCKING STUPID SON OF A BITCH?"

"OKAY OKAY!" cried Akihiko, "I get it! Just tell me what I need to do so you can leave me alone!"

The figure calmed down. "That's much better," said the figure cheerfully, "Thank you Akihiko. Now, to ensure that your freedom will be in your hands, it is true that you must obtain the five different items from the other five different continents as proof that you've been to them and return to Damonen to fight your brother. However, no matter how many demons you defeat out here, your strength will not compete with your brother's, who has enough power to control them. He has the strength of all the demons. But what is stronger than the power of demons is the power of all five elements put together.

"Along with the five different items as proof that you have made it to the five different continents, you must also gain alliance with five different individuals from those five continents. With them beside you, you will be able to master the elements of fire, water, wind, earth, and metal, and use them against your brother."

"Gain alliance of five people from the five continents? That's impossible!" said Akihiko, "I can't get anyone else involved with this ever again. Not after what happened before."

The figure tried to think. "Oh yes! I think I know what happened! Well on the plus side, no one was killed from that mistake."

Akihiko lowered his head. "But the result is worse than death."

"Well, I guess you know what to do first!" The figure looked at the sky. "Oops! Look at the time! Love to stay and chat with you Akihiko but I must go! I have a rescheduled hair appointment to go to. That way, I'll be sure to look my best the next time we meet. And remember; you must gain alliance with five from five different continents or you die."

With that said, the figure disappeared out of thin air for good this time. The words of the figure rang through Akihiko's ears. 'Gain alliance of five individuals from the five different continents.' How could Akihiko do that? Walk to them and say 'Oh, hello! I need an ally from each of the five different continents to help me find five items and return to Damonen to defeat my brother and obtain my freedom. Will you help me?' Not only would that be completely stupid as there were so many people that fear Damonen, but that would mean demons protecting the certain continent would get him for sure and kill him.

Morning finally came at last. The sky was grey from the smoke of all the flames and the ground still red and burning hot. Akihiko yawned and stretched his arms. Today was the day he began his journey. With Suzuki beside him, he left the cave and began walking, searching for the first item; the flame that never goes out.

Little did he know that a pair of eyes were watching him very closely, waiting to make a move.

**Pinkshuchan: Oooh! What's gonna happen next? I guess it's pretty obvious who all the allies are gonna be. The question is; which character is which element? You already know Akihiko is from Damonen meaning he can summon demons. But what about everyone else? I'd love to hear your ideas on which character is which element. Read and Review everyone!**


	3. Tale of the Fire Lion

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hi everyone! Pinkshuchan here! Last chapter, Akihiko agreed to find the five items within the five continents and return to Damonen to fight Haruhiko. However, a mysterious figure came and told Akihiko that he cannot win unless along the way, he gains alliance from five different people from the five different continents. What is to happen next? Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Tale of the Fire Lion

The golden sun shined on red rock which slowly turned into ruby sand; a sign that shows that it is spring in Feuern. The air was humid; just enough for anything to cook. To a normal person, they would easily collapse, lose consciousness, and die with lack of food and water within five days. However, to those that learned how to live in Feuern, this lifestyle was simple and without consequence.

During spring and summer, when the rock ground turns into soft red sand so soft it slips through your fingers, it is no different to our deserts. But when fall and winter come, the ground is hard and sturdy. The air is colder during that time but still humid.

After all, Feuern is the Fire Continent.

It was the time when the sun was at its highest peak when Akihiko began to get frustrated with where he was going. He had no idea where he had to find a flame that never goes out. His guess was that it was probably hidden somewhere. After all, a flame that never goes out is something that is quite rare. But where? Akihiko had been living in Feuern for six years, and never had he found a place that would seem secretive. Then again, he would've been there already if he had.

Hours passed and Akihiko still couldn't find anything by the time the sun set. Not even when he sent Suzuki to fly up in the skies in case he could see it from a bird's eye view could he find anything. Night was coming, and Akihiko knew that he would have to continue his search tomorrow.

Night fell and now the current search the lonely prince needed to do was a place of shelter where he could rest for the night. The entire day had been scorching hot, but was now chilling to the bone. Feuern's nights were freezing no matter the season as it's during this time the people would light their fires to keep it bright to travel. But Akihiko knew there were no people around; not anymore. He knew what had happened to them and never dared talk about it. The entire thing was just too painful to remember; the very thing that caused him to want to travel alone.

He walked until he caught sight of a tiny light in the distance. The faint glow that came from that light was familiar. A flame? Someone was there. Akihiko hesitated from walking towards that light, thinking it would be a trap or another way for the demons to haunt him. His decision to go over there or leave was decided when he saw how much Suzuki was shivering. There was no way to know when and where they would find another convenient place to rest until morning and it was possible that they wouldn't last the entire night. He had to take this chance.

Cautiously yet surely, Akihiko walked to the fire. Maybe he wouldn't really care all that much on who the owner of the flame was and be able to go through this without guilt. It was possible that it could be someone from Feuern. Or maybe an outsider like himself. Though risky if it was a trap, it was surviving that or surviving the cold.

A man slightly older than him sat near the flame. His clothes were not Feuern style so he was no doubt a foreigner of these lands. His face was blank, staring at the flame as Akihiko came closer. When he noticed the presence of the silver haired man and his little flying bear, he gave a smile that wasn't so sincere. Akihiko began to feel like risking the cold might've been a better idea after all.

"Why hello there," said the stranger, "I didn't think that there was any civilians that still lived here in Feuern. Or are you a traveller exploring this wonderful continent?"

"Neither," replied Akihiko, "I've only lived here for six years. Even so, I'm not a Feuern blood civilian like you may assume."

The stranger chuckled. "I see. So you are an immigrant. Well, at least I got to meet one normal person here in this burning hell hole. Or should I say freezing as it is the night? Please sit down. This fire can burn its warmth for the both of us and your little friend."

Akihiko was still not sure whether to trust this stranger or not. But Suzuki already sat down and tried to warm himself up so the silver haired man had no choice but to sit down with him. He hoped for this entire night to be quiet without any interruptions. But with the stranger there, it was not possible.

The man introduced himself as Shinoda, a travelling merchant from Stahlern who came to Feuern, wondering if the rumours of there being no more people living there anymore. He had been there for three days and had not seen a single person except Akihiko. He even said that there was no one even when he searched one of the villages. Akihiko knew which village he had talked about.

"The village you went to was attacked by demons," the silver haired man explained to the older, "I am not sure what happened to them after the assault, but all I know is that they are all gone."

"That is quite a tragedy," Shinoda exclaimed as he handed Akihiko a drink, "However, although I never found any people there, I did find something very unusual. Having lived here for six years already, you must know about the Fire Lion, right?"

"It's only a myth that the people created to give themselves more confidence," Akihiko replied, "In Feuern mythology, it was a beast that ruled the continent with strength, courage, power, and pride. It controlled fire and used its power to keep warmth to the continent by providing his flames when the flames of the sun disappeared, thus the traditions of lighting flames by the time the sun falls. Because it was believed to be the first ruler of Feuern, it even shares the same name with the continent."

Shinoda nodded. "That is correct. You know your Feuern mythology. However, what if I told you that the Fire Lion really isn't a myth?"

Akihiko stared at the older man in disbelief. "That wouldn't be believable."

But the older man chuckled. "Well believe it my friend. The Fire Lion exists. I even saw him with my own eyes. I do not think it is the original though. I believe that it may be a reincarnation if it is here after having to be alive 100,000 years ago and disappear as flames only to return now.

"It was when I was searching through the abandoned village. It was a night like this one. I searched for any survivors that would still live there. I walked until I heard a roar. I jumped when I heard it, but being the curious traveller that I am I had to go check it out. And that was when I saw him.

"I couldn't take my eyes off his beauty. Such a majestic creature was standing there before me and I couldn't breathe. But the moment he saw me, his anger grew and flew fire at me as a sign that I was not welcome. I knew from that day on that he was the Fire Lion. But there was one thing about him that was different from what I believed the Fire Lion would look like."

"And what would that be?" Akihiko asked, starting to take interest in the conversation. A lion that controlled fire? And at the abandoned village? This brought curiosity onto him.

Shinoda took a deep breath before he continued. "The Fire Lion wasn't really a lion."

Akihiko glared at him, feeling duped. "Thank you very much for nothing," he sarcastically remarked, "All that for a reflection or statue?"

"Calm down my friend!" said the older man, "Let me finish! He was not really a lion. At least not completely. The head was that of a prideful lion; strong face, fiery red eyes, a long cinnamon mane. But the body was that of a beautiful man with pale skin that glowed under the light of the moon and hands that seemed to be both lion and man as although they were hands of a man, he had long sharp black nails that almost resembled lion claws."

Shinoda gave a sigh before continuing; eyes sparkling with every word. "I would desire him very much. But with him as a wild beast, if I were to trap him it would only result in shame and guilt. But he may only be one of a kind. And what would happen if a hunter went to kill him?"

Akihiko remained silent. Something about the 'Fire Lion' Shinoda had seen didn't sound like the Fire Lion in the myths. It was not possible for a myth to be true. But this Fire Lion had something about him. His curiosity was getting the better of him. He needed to see the Fire Lion for himself to figure it all out.

"You said that you saw this Fire Lion at the abandoned village?" he asked.

"Yes," Shinoda replied, "Are you planning to go? Allow me to go with you. I want to see his beauty once more. And besides, there is the possibility of him attacking you."

"If that does happen I will be fine. I have survived many demon attacks. I don't need you to follow me."

"Do you even know where the village is?"

"Of course I do."

Shinoda sighed. "Alright. But if you are going to go see the Fire Lion, you will need to go at night. If you remember the myth, it says that the Fire Lion only comes to people during the night to warm them with his flames."

It was silent the rest of the night. Neither Akihiko nor Shinoda said another word after that. The only sound that could be heard was the gusts of wind blowing the ruby sand or the cackling of the fire keeping them warm.

Eventually morning came, and Akihiko was ready to leave. Remembering his way to the village from here, he knew it would take almost the entire day to get there. By the time he reaches the village, it would be night when the Fire Lion was supposed to appear. With Suzuki following him, they began their way through the red desert to the abandoned village to find the Fire Lion with answers to questions Akihiko was having. And who knows; maybe the Fire Lion may help him find the flame that never goes out.

But would it be Akihiko that needs the Fire Lion's help, or the Fire Lion that needs Akihiko's help?

**Pinkshuchan: And that was Chapter 3. The Fire Lion sounds like a magnificent creature, doesn't he? A man with a lion's head? What will Akihiko do once he finds the Fire Lion? Can the Fire Lion help him find the flame that never goes out? Please Read and Review everyone!**


	4. The Lion and the Hunter

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey everyone! Pinkshuchan here! I'm glad all of you are enjoying the story so far. Last chapter, Akihiko met a travelling merchant named Shinoda and learned of something assumed to be the Fire Lion was in the abandoned village. Curious about this lion, said to be only lion from the neck up but the rest of him human, Akihiko decided to check it out. What will happen once he meets the Fire Lion? Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

The Lion and the Hunter

Broken stone houses stood within a circle of buildings and stone pathways were covered by some of the ruby sand from outside. The only things that were still in tact were small lion statues holding torches with flames that glowed red and gold. That was how the abandoned village looked during the night, even with no people living there.

But maybe, there was something still living there.

Akihiko had taken the entire day to reach the village. Though the journey here was difficult with demons sent by Haruhiko after him, he was still able to make it there while it was still dark to see the Fire Lion, who only comes out at night, for himself. He looked around the entire village, remembering some memories that were both blissful and painful.

He remembered the people, who were strong and kind, but were violent if provoked. They all worshiped the Fire Lion, which served as a god to them. The continent itself was named after the Fire Lion's real name, Feuern. He remembered hearing all kinds of different stories from the people, mesmerized by how their religion was so different compared to Damonen. But Akihiko, although a prince of Damonen, was not that big on their religion. He liked to learn about all the continents and all their thoughts.

And then, there were the bonds he made there. More specifically with one person. A boy his age who was nicknamed 'the Lion Child' as his personality was similar to that of the Fire Lion. But there were sides of him only Akihiko knew, as the boy would never dare show it in front of anyone else. They grew to be the best of friends, although there were some differences between them. While Akihiko liked to spend his days being lazy, the boy would work hard and would, as Akihiko would say, 'dig his own grave' from so much work. But Akihiko's dear friend would never dare lower his pride. What Akihiko wouldn't give to see his friend and all the people of the village again.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Suzuki pointing something out. In the far side of the village, there was a giant flame. Akihiko recognized the location. It was the Temple of the Fire Lion, a place where people who feel like they have lost hope pray to the lion to gain more strength and courage. Akihiko ran as fast as he could with Suzuki flying behind him. What could this mean? Was this where the Fire Lion was?

He made it to the temple to see what looked like a naked man with long cinnamon hair kneeling down before the giant statue of the Fire Lion. Who was that strange man? Why was he praying in front of the statue?

"Excuse me!" Akihiko called out, "Are you a resident from this village that managed to survive against the demons or are you a traveller?" The man broke out of his praying state and stood up. He turned around, causing Akihiko to jump at the shock.

He looked like a normal man from the back, but when looking at the front, Akihiko could see what Shinoda had talked about. A man with a lion's head, including red eyes and a long cinnamon mane that could easily look like human hair, but with pale skin and long hands with sharp claws. The lion man glared at Akihiko and roared at him, preparing to attack.

Suzuki flew as fast as he could to hide from the lion, but Akihiko took a fighting stance. He would assume this creature was a demon, but he didn't look like any demon he had ever seen before, especially in a guide of demons he always carried with him just in case. It was a mystery, but first he had to defeat this lion.

The lion man stood on both his legs and arms as if he was an actual lion. He stood his ground, ready for any attack Akihiko makes. But Akihiko only just circles around with the lion following his movements. Both circled around each other, wondering when the other would attack. It didn't make sense for Akihiko. If this thing was a demon, it would attack him without hesitation. But although this thing was a beast, he had some humanism in him as well. He stood normally and slowly walked over to the lion man. The beast still stood his guard but even he began to slowly drop it.

Both moved closer to each other but with extreme caution. They moved closer until they knew they didn't have to worry about one attacking the other. The moment they got into eye contact, the lion began crying of joy and pain out of the blue. Through his soft roars, the silver haired man could hear one word and stood there in shock.

"Akihiko."

But then something began pulling the lion away. Both Akihiko and the lion weren't sure what was going on until they saw a rope that was lassoed around the lion's neck. The Fire Lion gave another loud roar before flames consumed his clawed hands and burned the rope, freeing him. But who would want to catch him? Akihiko saw his answer.

"Dammit!" Shinoda cursed while throwing the rope away, "Note to self, must use anything fire proof to catch him."

Akihiko glared at him. "Shinoda, you're not a travelling merchant are you? It was only a cover for your true identity. You're a hunter!"

Shinoda chuckled. "Indeed," he replied, "I am not a travelling merchant from Stahlern. I'm not even from that place. I'm a hunter from Damonen and I came to retrieve this half demon. I almost had him thanks to you, Prince Akihiko. That's right! I know you're the traitor prince. But even so, I am glad. You led me to that precious half demon right there."

"What the hell are you talking about? Half demon? There's no such thing!"

"Not until now! You see, when the demons followed you here they didn't just destroy the village. They took the residents of this village to become test subjects of a new way to create demons. His Royal Majesty Emperor Haruhiko allowed us to go through with this with the exception that if they are a success he is allowed to use them to kill you. And indeed, they were.

"That is until this guy known as the Fire Lion came in. Like everyone else in his village he was to become a pure demon. However, as we tried to change him into a demon like the others, he would fight the transformation. Quite the stubborn guy he is. He's quite beautiful too," Shinoda chuckled, causing a growl from the lion. "The most interesting thing then happened. Only his head and parts of his body were changed to be more demonic, but the rest of him, including mind and heart remained human. He managed to escape our base farther away in Feuern and I was made to chase him.

"I followed him here to the abandoned village. My guess was that he was searching for something. Either that or he just missed home. I was plotting a way to catch him when you came to my fire. And then I figured, I could kill two birds with one stone. Well, kill a bird and capture a beautiful lion half demon."

"So you mean that you used the people of this village as pawns for an experiment using force?" Akihiko stood in fighting stance. "I will never forgive what you have done to the people and to my friend here!"

Akihiko and the lion watched as Shinoda pulled out what looked like a whip. "Tell you what Prince Akihiko! I'll spare both you and the Fire Lion if you defeat me in a battle. However, I am allowed to take your life and take this lion's freedom should I win."

The silver haired smirked. "That shouldn't be too hard for me to defeat you. I've defeated a lot of level 3 demons. It would be hard to defeat someone with that strength."

"You are too cocky," said Shinoda, "I'm no ordinary hunter from Damonen. I will show you my strength through battle."

And the battle began. Both circled around each other while keeping a fighting stance and never breaking eye contact. This was a battle that determined not only the lion's freedom, but Akihiko's life as well. But Akihiko was determined to win. He knew he could win. He knows that he would be strong enough to defeat Shinoda. How powerful could he be?

They stopped circling each other. Shinoda made the first move, using his whip like weapon to reach Akihiko. But Akihiko knew what was to happen and managed to dodge. He used this dodge to get closer to Shinoda and try his own set of attacks. The hunter was knocked back a few steps, but he still stood. He tried another attack on the silver haired man but only resulted with another dodge on Akihiko's part. However, when Akihiko tried another attack on Shinoda, the hunter gave a counterattack and the silver haired man was down.

They kept fighting, able to get blows on each other. However, Shinoda was able to get more blows on Akihiko than the latter did on him. And it was then Akihiko realized; he was at a disadvantage.

Akihiko only had his own body to use as a weapon which required him to attack his opponent up close. However, Shinoda had his whip like weapon, which was able to stretch quite far in the battlefield. It would be quite difficult to get anymore attacks on him without getting any damage on himself. If that was the case, he would surely lose and not only would he lose his life and his chance for freedom, but the lion's freedom would be taken away as well. He couldn't let that happen, especially since this lion was…

He thought of an idea. There was no way Akihiko could win like this and he didn't want to be reckless. So there was only one thing left to do. As he dodged Shinoda's oncoming attacks, he moved closer to the lion, who stood away to not get caught in the battle. Akihiko raised his hand, causing a violet glow to consume it, and slammed it to the ground, causing smoke. The smoke surrounded the area and blinded Shinoda just for a bit. But when the smoke subsided, Akihiko and the lion were gone from that spot. Shinoda knew what had happened.

It was a demon summoning.

He moved his sight to the sky, and sure enough Akihiko and the lion were riding a demon to escape, followed by Suzuki who was trying to catch up. Akihiko's choice of demon was typical considering the theme of his demons. The demon was a flying bear like Suzuki, but was bigger, flew while looking like it was on four legs instead of two, and had feathered wings. He had to admit that it was clever, but not clever enough. Like Akihiko, Shinoda also summoned his own demon to chase after them. His demon was a crimson pterodactyl with black markings all over its body. He jumped on it and flew in quick speed to catch up.

Akihiko and the lion felt relieved that they were getting away from the hunter. The lion, who was sitting behind Akihiko, kept his arms around the latter's waist to keep him from falling, but also in a way of affection with his head in the crook of the silver haired man's neck. But this content feeling could not last as they heard a screech from a demon. They looked back to see Shinoda right on their tail. Akihiko turned back and leaned closer to the bear's head.

"Saitou! We need to go faster!" he told the bear, known only as Saitou to the silver haired man. The bear complied and moved faster. But that wasn't stopping Shinoda. The bear was a Level 2 demon. The pterodactyl demon he summoned was a Level 3. He had the advantage once again. But even with speed, it wouldn't be enough to take it down. He had one thing left to do. He opened his mouth and began a scream that was close to breaking the sound barrier facing Akihiko and the lion.

It was a successful hit for Shinoda, but wasn't such good luck on Akihiko and the lion. Saitou couldn't take the pain of the scream that he began to fall down to the ground. The bear landed on a part of land on top of some sort of mountain, but Akihiko and the lion knew better.

They were landing on a volcano.

Akihiko grabbed the lion and jumped off Saitou before the bear was about to have impact with the ground. They managed to land before Saitou and Akihiko was able to save Saitou by ending the summon. It seemed that they were safe.

But not until they saw Shinoda landing near them. "Now that wasn't playing fair Dear Prince," he tsked, "You are supposed to save your life and this lion's freedom by defeating me, not by running away. But I will make sure that this is fair," He ended his summon with his own demon. "We shall continue this battle, but none of us are allowed to use demons in anyway."

Akihiko was in trouble. There was no way he could defeat this hunter. But it made him wonder; how was this person stronger than him when he was only supposed to be a hunter? Shinoda didn't give him a chance to figure it out though, as he was already starting to fight. He was about to make his first attack when he himself got attacked by something else.

It was the lion. It was as if he was protecting Akihiko from the hunter. Shinoda used all his strength to push the lion off and far away. He glared at the beast. "I suppose you didn't hear me," Shinoda spoke to the lion, "I said no demons. But don't worry. I can fix that." He pulled something out of his pocket and threw it high. The item exploded, but didn't seem to do anything. The lion charged at Shinoda again but was pushed back by some sort of barrier. He tried and tried but it wouldn't budge. The hunter laughed.

"Just give up, my beautiful lion!" he continued, "Watch as I kill the man before us and take you back. If you are this beautiful as a half demon, I wonder how beautiful you will be as a full demon!"

The lion roared in anger as well as worry. He had to stand helpless as Akihiko struggled to keep alive against Shinoda. He didn't know what to do; how to stop this, how to help Akihiko who was doing his best to help him.

"A lion tied down is no different from a helpless kitten. But they both can provide support."

The Fire Lion looked around to the source of the voice to see a hooded figure there. He knew that person wasn't there before. Who was this person? The hooded figure only chuckled. "You really look quite cute flustered," it continued, "You wish to help your friend but cannot do so in the state you're in. You wished this since this first happened to you; you want to become human again." The lion roared in response. It was as if this person could read his mind.

"I know a way to solve this. Don't think wrong though! No longer can you be truly human again. Once you develop a demon gene, it is impossible to remove it. However, it is possible to make your human gene stronger so you can break through the barrier and save your friend.

"Do you recognize this place? Being a resident of Feuern, you know all the landscapes here. This volcano was believed to hold a spring that may possibly cure anything that happens. But it isn't a sure thing. There are those that die from drinking it. Some believe it's because they can't handle the scorching heat, others believe the water is poisoned. Could you possibly be one able to survive it?"

The lion was not scared by the hooded figure words. He nodded, as if telling the figure that he could handle it. The hooded figure nodded and moved aside, revealing said spring. It caused the lion to stand back in shock and some of his confidence escaped. But he would not dare back down. Before becoming the beast he was, he knew he was a man of great pride. Would he let go of it just because of some rumoured water? He gulped and walked forward.

This was it! This water was the one that would possibly turn him back to human. He brought his hands with his long sharp claws into the water and cupped some of it. It was possible this water could kill him but he didn't care. He had to do this. For himself and for Akihiko. He lifted his hands with the water and drank out of it.

Back with Akihiko, despite his attempts of staying alive, he was getting easily beaten up by Shinoda. With the beaten prince on the ground, the hunter moved closer and smirked. The former looked up at him. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"It is like I said," Shinoda replied, "I am no ordinary hunter. In fact, since you're about to die, I might as well tell you. I am one of those chosen by Emperor Haruhiko to keep the demons from doing anything disastrous to Elementar. I am one of the Five Damonen Knights."

Akihiko's eyes widened. The Five Damonen Knights?! He had heard of them but never had he thought that he would have to deal with any of them. Surely Haruhiko had warned the knights to be on the lookout for the silver haired prince and kill him should they find him. It was also typical that the Ruler of Damonen would not tell his younger brother as to be more successful with killing him. At the state he was at now, there was no way he could defeat any of the knights. Shinoda grabbed Akihiko's neck and began to strangle him. The moment he puts all his strength into his hands, it would be over for Akihiko.

But Shinoda was attacked from behind before he could finish Akihiko off. The silver haired man coughed the moment the hunter's grip on him loosened to the point of dropping him back onto the ground. Shinoda was in pain with a burning feel on his back. Something scorching; a fireball, was shot at him. There was only one that could use a fireball but that was impossible. No demon or their abilities could be used on someone in the barrier. The lion, although half demon, was in the state of being more demon than human. So then how…?! He couldn't believe his eyes the moment he turned to where the demon was.

"Well, now the battlefield is evened up!"

That voice! It was so long ago when Akihiko had heard it. Could it be? He looked up and, like Shinoda, shock was shown on his face. Where the lion was stood a young man that looked like he was the same age as Akihiko. However, he didn't look completely human. Some features he had when he was still the lion were still there but weren't as animal like. His nails weren't as long, but still looked like claws and though he had a human face, fangs were still there when he opened his mouth. Not only that, but his ears were pointier.

He was the Lion Child.

Shinoda smirked before he walked away. "Well, there's really no point in fighting a battle that's two against one, especially when it seems the half demon has taken more of a human form. I'll let you get away with living this time Prince Akihiko. But the next time we meet, your head will be swiped by my whip. And with one raise from his hand, Shinoda summoned his pterodactyl and flew away. Victory was Akihiko's for now.

But the victory didn't last long as the young man the lion turned into fell to the ground. Akihiko ran to help the Lion Child, but not before crying out his name.

"Hiroki!"

**Pinkshuchan: Yep, that's Hiroki. There must be people rejoicing. Though probably not since people might be expecting Misaki. Not to worry, Misaki is in this story. When he comes in is going to be a surprise. You will need to read on to find out. Read and Review!**


	5. Flame of the Heart

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey everyone! It's Pinkshuchan! Last chapter, Akihiko met the 'Fire Lion' and indeed it wasn't the legendary lion in the myths but was a half demon created by Shinoda. The half demon managed to regain more so a human form than his form with a lion's head, and was revealed to be a friend from Akihiko's past named Hiroki. What will happen now that Akihiko and Hiroki have reunited? Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

Flame of the Heart

"Hiroki!"

Akihiko ran to his friend's side the moment he saw him collapse. The young man in front of him, Hiroki, looked up at the silver haired man. The latter kneeled down and looked back at him with worry. For so long, he didn't know that he was still alive. And now that he was reunited with him, he almost lost him to Shinoda. He picked Hiroki up and held him close to him.

"Hiroki," he spoke silently, "I'm glad you're okay."

He heard the cinnamon haired man chuckle. "Unbelievable," he replied, "Never had I thought the man who usually appeared emotionless in front of everyone would show a face like that. Idiot! You know I'm the type of guy that never gives up on anything. There's no way I'd let that damn hunter win."

Akihiko helped Hiroki stand up. It was evident through Akihiko's eyes that he was sad, but they were eyes that never dared produced tears. He lowered his head. "I'm sorry. It was my fault that the demons came here. I never thought that you and the other villagers would be taken to become demons yourselves."

"Akihiko," Hiroki made the silver haired man look at him. "While it's true part of why we were taken to be turned into demons ourselves to be forced to eliminate you, we would've been taken anyways. Our village isn't really important to travellers anyway as rarely anyone wants to explore Feuern. Doesn't mean I wouldn't want to make them pay. But you're not to blame for what happened to us."

"It's not just to eliminate me like Shinoda said. Demons made by summoning them, if not destroyed in battle, can also die when their owners die. I figure that this method is also to make life easier for those who not only lose those that they love, but the demons that they can summon. That way, they still have demons to help."

"But even so, it's no excuse to use people as guinea pigs. Those people will pay!" Through his anger, Hiroki unconsciously roared. He covered his mouth. "What the hell was that? Why did I still roar like I was still a lion? I should be fully human again."

Akihiko sighed. "Well, you no longer look like a human with a lion's head, but neither do you look completely human either." He led Hiroki to the water which showed his reflection. The half demon couldn't believe his eyes and turned away from the water in anger.

"I should've known," he growled, "It was like the hooded figure said; no longer can I be truly human again."

This confused the prince. "Wait, hooded figure?! What hooded figure?"

"I think he meant me. What an honour!"

Both Akihiko and Hiroki turned to see the hooded figure standing there. Not only was it the hooded figure that helped Hiroki, it was also the hooded figure that told Akihiko about obtaining the five allies to make himself stronger.

"It's you!" cried Akihiko, "Why are you here? And never did you tell me who you were."

The hooded figure gasped. "Of course! How silly of me! I really hadn't properly introduced myself. Couldn't properly last time since I had to pass the message and then go to my next scheduled appointment. And I finally got my hair done now too!"

And as the figure took off its hood, the robe covering its body came off, revealing what was underneath.

The hooded figure turned out to be a young woman who looked like she could be a little bit older than Akihiko and Hiroki. Under the black robe was a turquoise coloured gown that was tight around her body; exposing her curves, with long sleeves resting below her shoulders and thigh high slits on both sides and black thigh high heeled boots. A round hair pin that was mostly gold with black on some of it; almost looking like a quarter moon, rested on the side of her long fiery red hair. With how beautiful she was, there was no way she could be human.

"Allow me to introduce myself," she continued, "My name is Aikawa. I am here to help guarantee the freedom of Prince Akihiko of Damonen."

"Why the hell didn't you say that when we first met?" Akihiko growled, "And how do you explain how you know so much about me when this is only the second time we've met and you're not a resident of Damonen?"

Aikawa shook her head. "I didn't say I wasn't from Damonen."

"So you are?"

"I didn't say I was either."

"So then where are you from?"

She crossed her arms. "It's hard to explain. You probably wouldn't understand no matter how clearly I tell you. But that's beside the point. You- AH!" She stared at Hiroki in complete shock and tried covering her eyes. "I just realized that you are completely naked! Have you no shame walking around like that? What if a female traveller was to come around and she saw you like that? Poor girl would be scarred!" She snapped her fingers and what appeared to be clothes appeared before Hiroki in a neat pile. "Put that on! The only time I should see naked men is when I watch Yaoi."

Akihiko and Hiroki didn't understand what she was talking about but decided not to pay any attention to it. Instead, Hiroki decided to put the clothes on. He did feel a little awkward walking around naked, but never would he dare show his weaker self. He wasn't given much to wear; only a crimson vest and baggy auburn pants. But it was good enough. After all, this was traditional wear in Feuern.

Once he was properly dressed, Aikawa moved her hand away from her sight and continued. "As I was saying before I caught a glimpse of something that may never leave my mind again, I congratulate you Akihiko. You have found your first ally to accompany you."

"Ally?" Akihiko asked, "You mean that Hiroki is one of my allies? Not that I mind him joining me, but wouldn't there be any other ally?"

"If you mean if there's a different ally from Feuern that you can have accompany you instead, if you don't mind travelling throughout Feuern to find nothing but the sand and the heat, then please be my guest. I'm sad to say that Hiroki the Lion Child here is the only Feuern born left."

Hiroki lowered his head, the news a complete shock to him. Sure, he was one of the only villagers to escape but... "I am… alone?"

Aikawa continued. "Besides Akihiko, you would have the strongest bond with someone you know rather than some stranger. However, after your friend here, the rest of the alliances you make will mostly be with strangers, but then they don't become strangers anymore once you open up to them."

"Then I have no choice." Akihiko sighed.

Hiroki, although in depression to the fact that he was the only one of Feuern left, grew angry with Akihiko's last comment. "And what the hell do you mean by that? Do you not think I am a capable ally for you?"

The silver haired man shook his head. "It's not that! I just don't want people involved with me. And if they have to, I would prefer strangers. I don't want to involve people I care about, especially if they…" His voice faded.

And as quickly as it appeared, Hiroki's glare became a face of concern. "Listen Akihiko! I've known you since six years ago. We may have only been together for a short time, but it felt like we've known each other for all our lives. That means we have a pretty damn good bond going on. I can tell by the look your face that you think that if I come along with you then something almost bad if not worse than what happened six years ago will happen to me. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but I'm not going to worry about what happens with me. You're fighting for your freedom. You helped me regain mine; let me return the offer and help you get yours!"

Akihiko couldn't help but stare at how strong willed his friend was; a man with a heart like a consuming flame who could possibly be scared on the inside but would never dare show it on the outside, whether it's his own stubbornness, his determination to look strong in front of others, or the fact that he wants to protect someone he really cares about. A great ally to have, but was it worth risking his friend's life, even if he wanted this? "What if Shinoda comes back?"

Hiroki only smirked. "That hunter can't do anything to me now! I no longer have a lion's head. If not completely, I'm human for the most part."

They heard a cough from Aikawa to focus their attention on her. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the water you drank doesn't have permanent effects. The effects only last for a day. The moment night comes by again, you will have a lion's head again and it will be your demon side taking up your body once more."

And it was enough to make the half demon go berserk. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT BEFORE I DRANK THE WATER?" he roared.

"Well you seemed so desperate to save your friend, there was no way I could tell you that. But please don't worry! If you keep drinking the water, you can stay in your somewhat human form."

"But if Hiroki was to come with me through all six continents and to obtain all five items, we would have to carry thousands of bottles filled with the water," Akihiko explained, "Which means he's stuck here with the water. And if Shinoda comes after him, he can't do anything."

But the woman shook her head. "Not necessarily. There is a way for him to still come along with you on your travels and without the need to fill thousands of bottles but still give him an endless supply of water to drink to keep him from transforming back. Have you heard of the Gourd of Endless Supply?"

Hiroki's eyes widened with that name. "It is said that the Fire Lion used it along with this water to cure the people in Feuern of the plague for generations. For fear of it being used for the wrong purposes, it was kept in hiding. The gourd was special because you could fill it with any form of liquid and no matter how many times you drink from it, it will always seem like it was always full."

"That is correct," Aikawa responded, "It is said that in making sure that the gourd would not fall into enemy hands, it was to be kept safe here in this volcano. Many try to get the gourd, but none have ever lived to tell the tale of what lurks under these rocks. But you decide if that gourd is worth risking your lives over."

Akihiko stayed silent. Was this gourd really worth it? Sure, it meant that he would have Hiroki by his side to help him on his journey and to help retrieve his freedom, but would he still get that while getting that giant bottle? Hiroki on the other hand, spoke up right away. "I'm getting that gourd. I refuse to live my life with a lion's head forever and I refuse to stay here until I die. Neither will I abandon Akihiko."

Aikawa smiled. "Such courage! There is a good reason your village gave you the name 'the Lion Child'."

Hiroki looked at Akihiko, wondering what his decision is and yet had a feeling what it would be. The silver haired man knew his answer. He couldn't abandon Hiroki. Not after the kindness he and his family gave him as he was travelling. And after what happened, he worried about Hiroki's safety in case Shinoda comes back. Plus, it was as Aikawa said; he needed allies from Feuern, Ozean, Kurbeln, Erden, and Stahlern, and Hiroki was the only survivor of Feuern. He sighed.

"Alright," he spoke up, "We'll get the gourd, fill it up with this water, and then continue on."

Aikawa's smile grew even bigger. "I'm glad. The entrance is at the very top of the volcano. I know you can succeed. Your bonds are like flames that grow and consume your heart. Don't ever let that go out!" And as she put the hood and robe back on, she disappeared. That was a sign for Akihiko and Hiroki to be on their way. They were determined to get that gourd; Hiroki because he wanted to remain in the form he was in and to help Akihiko, and Akihiko to help Hiroki and to be one step closer to obtaining his own freedom.

**Pinkshuchan: YAY! I managed to update this chapter quick. Well, with Hiroki by his side, will Akihiko retrieve the Gourd of Endless Supply? What will happen once they end up in the volcano? Please Read and Review!**


	6. Inside the Volcano

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hello, it's Pinkshuchan. Last chapter, the hooded figure was revealed to be a woman named Aikawa, who claims that she is determined to help Akihiko win his freedom. She also reveals that Hiroki's human transformation isn't permanent unless he continues to drink the water, which would require obtaining the Gourd of Endless Supply from inside the volcano to do so. Akihiko and Hiroki go off to the volcano to get the gourd. Will they succeed? Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Inside the Volcano

The trip to the top of the volcano was steep and complicated. Although there was a path that led them there, it felt more like they were climbing rather of walking to the top. But even as difficult as it was, Akihiko and Hiroki managed to reach the top. Suzuki on the other hand only had to fly up and was waiting for his master and his friend to join him. Hiroki glared at the bear.

"Yeah, you didn't have any trouble because you could fucking fly!" he growled at Suzuki before looking at Akihiko, "Speaking of flying bears, why didn't you use that big one from before to get us to the top to save us the trouble?"

Akihiko gave a big sigh. "After dealing with Shinoda, Saitou is exhausted. He needs to recuperate before he can travel anywhere again. Even if he were healthy and full of energy, travelling on him would be risky. They know that the demons I summon are mainly cute bear types. You'd still want to travel around with me knowing that you'll be walking on foot?"

Hiroki glared at him. "Don't take me too lightly! In case you've forgotten, I had to travel very far from the Damonen lab to reach what was left of my home. Even in my childhood I had to continuously travel from my village to the town closest to the border in Stahlern to help some of the people that worked there. Mostly providing my abilities of fire."

A chuckle left the silver haired man's lips. "I knew you were always busy with something, but I never knew it was to travel all the way to Stahlern. Well, maybe you could show me that town. I'll need to get to Stahlern at some point on this journey."

It was agreed. But first they needed to go into the volcano and obtain the Gourd of Endless Supply for Hiroki. They reached the edge of the volcano which was said to be the entrance inside. Akihiko wondered if the volcano would erupt while they were inside but Hiroki assured him they'd be fine.

"This volcano hasn't erupted since after the time of the Fire Lion," he explained, "It was said that the volcano only erupted once when the Fire Lion tried to save the village from armies from Damonen. Back then, Damonen was considered an enemy as the Lord Damonen who, as you already know, was the first ruler of Damonen, wanted to force strict rules on all the continents. Feuern fought back and after losing against all the continents, Damonen agreed that no strict rules would be given in the other continents provided by they allow Damonen's demons to serve laws."

Akihiko nodded. He knew the history of the war. Now without hesitation, he followed Hiroki to the other side of the volcano edge where spiral steps appeared in front of them. They nodded to each other before going down the steps. Suzuki stayed close to Akihiko, scared of what may come their way.

The stairs were steep and went a long way. Not to mention the farther down they went, the hotter it got. When they finally reached the bottom, Akihiko assumed that they had to be below the earth at this point. The path forward was right before them. It was clear for the most part. But considering that an item so rare like the Gourd of Endless Supply was down there, they knew they had to watch for traps.

As they walked, traps indeed sprung on them. With their teamwork and help from Suzuki who was able to sense these things, they were able to get past the traps no problem. It took a while before they managed to escape the pathway and enter a giant room.

The room was coloured gold and torches were lit everywhere. Like the village, there were a lot of lion statues as well. But what stood out the most in the entire room was the giant worn down gourd on the pedestal. No doubt about it; that was the Gourd of Endless Supply.

But just walking to the gourd would be dangerous. Surely there was another trap waiting for them the moment they tried to get close to the gourd. They walked cautiously to the gourd; each step taking its time. However, with every small slow step and with how big the room was, Hiroki began getting anxious. He groaned.

"I don't care if there is a trap or not, I need to get that gourd now!" he yelled before storming to the gourd. Akihiko tried to stop him but it was too late. The moment Hiroki closed in on the pedestal; something fell right in front of him, preventing him from going any further.

A giant monster made of molten rock blocked the path to the pedestal and the gourd. Typical that not only would a rare item's location involve booby traps but would also have a guardian protecting it. The monster roared before pushing Hiroki against the wall on his right. The cinnamon haired man grew furious.

"There is no way I'm going to let a fucking molten monster push me around!" he roared before firing a fireball at the monster. It hit but didn't do anything. He tried and tried but the monster wouldn't feel a thing.

"Hiroki stop!" Akihiko cried out, "It's not doing anything to him as he pretty much _made_ of fire."

"Then what the hell do we do?" asked Hiroki, "I doubt physical attacks will work on him. Can't you summon a demon to help you with this?"

"My demons can only support. They can't fight."

The molten monster laughed with how defenceless the two were. It raised its arm and tried to smash Akihiko into the ground. But the silver haired man managed to dodge the attack by rolling to the side. While the monster was distracted with Akihiko, Hiroki tried to reach the gourd. Hopefully they could escape the monster just by grabbing the gourd while it was distracted and then run the hell out of there. But as he tried to reach the pedestal, a firewall came up from below. If it was just putting his hand in, Hiroki would be fine as his hands were immune to burning. But the wall would require his entire body to go through.

They had no choice to but to defeat the monster.

How could they though? Physical attacks won't work, Hiroki's fire attacks only get absorbed into the monster, and Akihiko isn't able to summon a demon powerful enough to defeat it. As the monster tried to lay an attack, Akihiko had to keep dodging. But even dodging wasn't very useful against this monster. When the monster smashes the ground, pieces of rock fly all over the place and would leave tiny cuts on Akihiko's skin.

The monster's attacks and Akihiko's dodging eventually led the latter to being trapped against a wall with no where to turn. The monster laughed as it knew that it would be crowned victorious. Hiroki cried Akihiko's name out of worry and weakness. The monster raised its arm, preparing for the final blow. Akihiko could do nothing but raise his arms in attempt to shield the blow but he knew it wouldn't do much good.

And then, something miraculous happened.

Akihiko's hands began to glow violet, similar to when he's summoning a demon, but was nothing like this. Static surrounded the glow before a flash of lightning struck the monster. When the lightning subsided from his hands, Akihiko stared at them in shock. Never had he known he could do that. Yes, he knew that people of Damonen had other powers aside from summoning demons, but he never thought he could ever do something like that.

"Akihiko look!" Hiroki cried out, "That bolt of lightning you struck at him has damaged him!" The silver haired man looked up to see that his friend was right.

A piece of the molten rock on the monster's shoulder was broken off, revealing a red glow inside. The rock must serve as a shield and the inside is its weak point. Akihiko stood up with confidence and hoped that he was able to use another lightning bolt. Thank goodness he did. He kept striking lightning at the monster; tearing the molten rock piece by piece until a big amount was torn out, leaving the monster vulnerable. He shot one last bolt into the weak point and it hit the monster hard. The glow shined even brighter before the monster exploded, leaving it no more.

They had won.

Akihiko sighed in relief as he fell down to the ground. Suzuki, who was hiding the entire time, came out of his hiding place and flew to his master, cheering. Hiroki looked over at the pedestal to see the firewall subsiding. He could easily take the gourd with no more worries. With the gourd in his hands, he looked back at Akihiko with a smirk and held it up so the latter could see it. The silver haired man smirked back, but Suzuki started shaking in fear. Before anyone could process what was wrong with him, the bear took off in a flash.

"I still don't get why the hell you keep that demon with you," Hiroki replied, "A demon should be helpful to his master, right? Not running away in cowardice after everything is all over."

Akihiko just stared at something behind Hiroki. "I think him running away means there _is_ something else." He pointed to behind Hiroki. When the latter looked, he clearly understood what was happening and ran over to Akihiko, yet unable to take his eyes away from what was going on.

The wall behind the pedestal was cracking; drops of what appeared to be lava seeping through. This was a sign saying 'this wall will explode with the overflow of lava and flood the entire volcano to the point of eruption. Akihiko and Hiroki didn't waste any time standing there and bolted out of the room.

While lucky that the traps were already set off and wouldn't set off again, they were unlucky with the fact that the pathway was really long. As they ran, they heard an explosion behind them. The wall was broken. Hiroki looked back and saw the lava coming right at them.

"Shit!" he cursed, "Now I'm wishing I'm as fast as that bear. If I was then I wouldn't have to worry about having to outrun the lava."

Akihiko's face lit up. As he grabbed Hiroki, his hand glowed and smoke surrounded them. He was able to summon Saitou once again. With both men on his back, the big bear flew as fast as he could and managed to reach the stairs before the lava. The rest of the way was easy, as instead of having to run up all those stairs, Saitou only needed to fly straight up. Once up and out, Saitou flew away from the hole and Akihiko watched as the volcano erupted. However, the lava didn't flow down the volcano. It only gushed up like a geyser and went back down. He assumed the volcano only did that for intruders that managed to succeed on taking the gourd.

Once they were sure the volcano was done, they flew down to where the water was where Suzuki was waiting for them. The moment they landed, even after Akihiko ended Saitou's summoning, Hiroki was clinging onto Akihiko in fear. Never had the silver haired man seen his friend like this.

"Hiroki, we're safe now," he assured him, "You can let go of me now."

Cautiously, Hiroki raised his head and looked around. After looking around and realizing they were indeed safe, he looked up at Akihiko and realized how he was clinging to him. Swiftly, he let go; his face red.

"Stupid Akihiko," he snapped, "I was clinging on like that because I didn't want to fall. It wasn't because I was really scared or anything."

"Yeah, sure," Akihiko replied, "Aren't you going to fill the gourd up with the water? You'll really need it if you're coming along with me."

Hiroki rolled his eyes before walking to the water with the gourd. As he opened the gourd, he noticed something glowing. What could be in that? Akihiko noticed it as well and walks over. Since it takes two hands to hold the gourd considering how big it was, Akihiko held out his hands as Hiroki dumped out the contents in it. Both screamed in fear with what fell into Akihiko's hands.

It was a rock consumed in a flame. Hiroki scooped up some of the water into the gourd and continuously dumped it onto the flame. He didn't have to worry about it going out as its supply really was endless. However, no matter how many times the cinnamon haired man dumped the water; the flame would not go out. Akihiko managed to calm himself down to realize this. This was a flame that wouldn't go out no matter what. No only that, it didn't seem like the flame was burning his hand let alone consuming it in flame like the rock. He stopped Hiroki and pointed out the truth of this rock.

"This is the flame that never goes out!" Akihiko cried in joy, "This is one of the items I need to get as I travel. Only four more items to go and four more continents left before returning to Damonen and facing my brother."

Hiroki gave a sigh. "Well in that case, it's only natural that you'll need my help the rest of the way. I'll take you to the town in Stahlern. Your next item might be there."

"It's not just the item I need," said Akihiko, "According to that woman Aikawa, I need to gain an alliance with someone in each continent. You're my ally from Feuern, but I don't know anyone else I can have an alliance with."

A smirk formed on Hiroki's face. "You may not know anyone else but I know someone from Stahlern who may be able to help. But we better move fast. Who knows when and if that hunter may show up to stop us."

Akihiko nodded. Climbing down the volcano, they began heading to Stahlern. What was to await them there? Will this person Hiroki knows help them? Akihiko asked himself these questions as they walked across the ruby sand and headed to the border into the Metal Continent.

**Pinkshuchan: And now there are two. Just letting people know that I have put up a poll in my profile page for your opinion on Akihiko's next ally. Your choices are Misaki, Nowaki, Miyagi, or Shinobu. You are also welcome to give your thoughts in the review. I myself already know who it is they will be meeting, but I want to hear everyone's opinions. Please Read and Review!**


	7. Metal Mine

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey everyone! Pinkshuchan here. I thank everyone for giving their opinions on the next ally to appear. What it was was just something out of curiosity, nothing offensive or anything if the character you believe to appear is wrong. The character won't be showing up yet but this chapter may possibly hint who it is without giving any details away. So here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Metal Mine

Ever since he was a child, when Akihiko thought about Stahlern and how it was the Metal Continent, he expected everything to made exactly like that; metal. But now that he saw the continent with his own eyes, it was nothing like he expected. Although called the Metal Continent, there was no metal anywhere in Stahlern. So then why was it called the Metal Continent?

"It's not that the place is made of metal that it's called the Metal Continent," Hiroki replied when Akihiko asked him, "All the continents have some sort of power due to the spiritual being the continents are named on. You already know of Damonen, who was the Lord of the continent of the same name that could summon demons to make order, and Feuern, the Fire Lion that ruled his continent of the same name with courage and strength as well as pride. Stahlern was no different but his powers weren't like his fellow beings. His ability was to create objects made of metal, whether it was weaponry, armoury, or just about anything involving battle or not. While Damonen was Law and Feuern was Pride, Stahlern was Support. That didn't mean he couldn't fight though."

Akihiko seemed to understand what his friend was talking about. But he knew he would have better understanding of it as soon as they were at the town. They continued on their way until they saw buildings in the distance. Akihiko was going to continue until Hiroki stopped him.

"There's just one thing I have to warn you about before we head in," he explained, "From this point on, it would be best to refrain from revealing yourself as a former citizen of Damonen let alone a prince in any town like this one. Not everywhere in every single continent will take kindly to someone from Damonen. If they find out, it will be more than just demons coming after you. In other words, you'll have to lose the bear before we go any farther. It's a dead giveaway."

Suzuki shook his head as he gave a little cry. He didn't want to leave his master alone. But Akihiko only sighed. "I'm sorry Suzuki," he told his bear friend, "Don't worry; I'll summon you back as soon as we're out of the town." And without another word, he ended Suzuki's summoning. With a nod from Hiroki, the two continued into the town.

The town itself was something Akihiko had never thought before. A place full of stone buildings small or medium sized, giving it a nice atmosphere without a giant building to look intimidating among them. The people were walking around cheerfully; some talking among themselves laughing, and others just in a good mood. The silver haired man had never seen anything like this, especially back at Damonen.

"So Hiroki, tell me," Akihiko began when thought came into his head, "This person you think can help us. What kind of guy is he?"

The cinnamon haired man sighed. "Where do I even begin? He can be a bit of an idiot but he can take a job seriously. Although I've never seen this side of him, apparently he was known as a weapon's master in the past. He knows how to use every weapon made of metal ever made. He could even switch weapons without delaying time. It shows how hard he had trained on that. Makes me respect the guy. Nowadays, he works as a blacksmith; making weapons and armour for warriors. I've been helping him until _that day_. Still, I think he'd be willing to help."

They continued walking until they reached a building that said 'Blacksmith'. When Hiroki walked over to the door, he growled in anger.

"Closed!" he kicked a nearby bucket, "We'll have to wait until he gets back!"

"Not necessarily," said Akihiko, "Maybe someone knows where he is so we can find him."

"You mean the blacksmith that lives here?"

Both men turned to see an old woman with long white hair and a face covered in wrinkles and warts. She wore a long black hood and robe. There was something about her but they couldn't figure out what it was.

"Do you know where he is ma'am?" asked Akihiko.

"Yes, I do," the woman replied, "Quite a distance from now is a place known only as the Metal Mine. Many of the workers here go to Metal Mine to collect the materials they need for whatever it is they make. This particular guy, the blacksmith you are looking for, he plans to delve deeper into the mine which is said to be a labyrinth, to obtain strong ores for his merchandise. Even if he is known as a weapon's master, it would be near impossible to reach that strong ore in the labyrinth. And even if he was able to obtain it, how can he go back? It is said that the labyrinth was created deep within the mine to keep intruders from obtaining that strong ore, and one strong ore in particular."

"A metal ore that never breaks?"

"Possibly. No one knows if it is true or not as no one has ever escaped."

That gave them more of a reason to pursue the mine. For the blacksmith and for the ore that never breaks. "Where is this mine?" it was Hiroki's turn to ask.

The old woman pointed to what looked like a mountain in the distance. "The Metal Mine rests at the base of Mount Metal. But be careful; I hear that there are demons on the way there."

"We can take care of it," said Akihiko as they began to walk away, "Demons are of no threat to me."

A giggle came out of the old woman and as she spoke her last words, her voice sounded younger and familiar. "Of course! I know that you will succeed Akihiko."

Hearing that, Akihiko stopped walked and turned around, only to see that the old woman was gone. Hiroki also stopped and looked over at his friend. "What's wrong?"

"That old woman," Akihiko pointed out, "She started sounding younger. She knew my name!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Hiroki, "I didn't hear anything."

This didn't make any sense. How could Akihiko hear it and not Hiroki? It was strange. But this was not the time to worry about it. They had to get to the Metal Mine and find the blacksmith and the ore that never breaks.

They travelled across Stahlern, fighting demons and avoiding Akihiko's identity to be exposed. Akihiko even refrained from summoning Suzuki yet until they reach the mine. It took a while considering that Mount Metal was in the middle of the continent, but eventually they reached the mountain and the entrance to Mount Metal. Once at the entrance, Akihiko summoned Suzuki and then walked in.

The mine was unlike anything they had seen before, even for Hiroki as even he had not seen the mine before. The rocks were a bluish grey colour that shined near any holes that led to outside due to the light of the sun. Even farther up ahead, there was a pond with sickly water contaminated by the dirt and pieces of metal ore. Eventually after walking through the straight path, they reached what they would assume to be the labyrinth. They had to go inside in order to find the blacksmith and the ore that never breaks.

"But how do we get back?" Hiroki asked as he stopped Akihiko from stepping in, "I've heard things about the labyrinth and one thing is that compasses don't work in there. Not to mention that pathways change when you least expect it."

Akihiko just smirked. "Well, it's a good thing we have this little guy here," he replied while pointing to Suzuki, "Suzuki's kind is known to have keen sense of danger and directions. How do you think I've been able to survive the demons for the past 13 years?"

There were no further questions. They took a deep breath before stepping into the labyrinth; unaware of the dangers that lay within.

**Pinkshuchan: This may be the shortest chapter for this story so far but this chapter wasn't meant for much detail. It's only to lead us to what will be happening as well as a hint to the next ally. I don't know about you guys, but even though I'm writing this story I can think of two characters I know fit the description of the next ally. Who it is I won't tell. You'll need to wait until the next chapter. Read and Review!**


	8. The Weapon's Master

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey, it's Pinkshuchan again! I'm glad that a lot of people really like this story so far. Just want to point out again that if a character you really like doesn't appear right away, they will eventually. All pairings (Romantica, Egoist, **_**and**_** Terrorist) are in this story so if not soon then later on your favourite pairing will be in the story. Anyways, now that is done, onto the chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

The Weapon's Master

The old woman wasn't kidding when she explained that the labyrinth was a challenge. Even what Hiroki said was true. As they moved through the labyrinth, walls would appear and disappear when they least expect it. It would often lead to confusion and eventually annoyance. With the walls changing whether you want them to or not, it was difficult to get through the labyrinth or even which way to go. Thank goodness they had Suzuki. He was always able to point to the strongest energy and which path would be the wisest, even after the walls change.

But it was only starting to get harder.

Out of the blue, when Hiroki was ahead with Suzuki, a wall appeared between Akihiko and Hiroki. Akihiko slammed on the wall, trying to get through but it was no use. The wall would not budge.

"Akihiko," Hiroki called out from the other side, "We have no choice but to split up for now. We'll try to meet up with each other. Can you summon another one of those bears to help you?"

"Of course I can," Akihiko replied, "I just haven't thought of summoning another one until now." And as suggested, he summoned another one like Suzuki but slightly smaller and darker. "With Suzuki #2, I'll try to meet up with you."

"One more thing Akihiko!" Hiroki called out before Akihiko went his own way, "If you happen to find the blacksmith before I do, mention my name. Even if he acts like a big idiot, he'll know the situation. Now hurry!"

Akihiko didn't need to be told twice. They went their separate ways through the labyrinth, determined to meet up again whether it's at the end or on the way. Like with the original Suzuki, Suzuki #2 was able to help Akihiko through the way. He made sure to move faster as he was not sure when another wall will block his path. But after a while of moving faster while following Suzuki #2, the walls themselves began to move faster. They had to keep moving if they were to get out.

They finally reached a room. Had they reached the end of the labyrinth? He was proven wrong when he saw another path beside him. He figured it was best to keep moving forward when something stopped his path.

Demons! They must've followed him into the labyrinth and prepared to corner him. He moved into a fighting stance and rushed into the horde. He dodged each attack by either ducking or jumping over the attack. He got cuts here and there but nothing serious. He was able to give blow after blow to each demon, destroying them in the process and resulted in them fading into the air.

But it was no use. There was too many of them and Akihiko was running low on energy with two demons summoned at once and with wasting energy on dashing through the labyrinth and now fighting the horde before him. He fell to the ground. He was close to defeat.

But then, a miracle happened. A demon faded away when struck by something. That something fell to the ground. It appeared to be an arrow. More and more demons were fading away when struck with arrows. The demons went after a new target and Akihiko took a glance on the new visitor.

A man Akihiko had never seen before stood there. He was a middle aged man holding a bow and carrying lots of items on his back and belt which appeared to be weapons. With his attire which involved a white long sleeved shirt, a grey vest, dark grey pants, and black boots, he appeared to be a man from Stahlern. Could he be…?

The demons roared before charging at him. But the man smirked. In a swift movement, he put the bow away and held a giant axe in his hands. He too charged at the demons and struck them with his axe. He could easily kill two of them with one swipe. He had taken a bunch down easily. One demon prepared a sneak attack on him, but the man outsmarted it and threw a dagger in its heart. All the demons were gone.

"Phew!" the man replied as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve, "That is always quite a workout whenever I fight them. Though I never expected to find demons lurking in these labyrinths." He looked over at Akihiko and his face darkened. "You! You're from Damonen, royalty no doubt."

Akihiko was shocked. How could he know? Suzuki #2, like the original Suzuki, was probably hiding somewhere while the battle was going on. Not only that, but from first glance he could already tell he was royalty. "What makes you say that?"

"Unusual attire not commonly seen in Stahlern would consider you're a foreigner," the man responded, "The attire itself is usually something you would see from a serious fighter from Damonen who has travelled a lot. _And_ you wear violet and black, a colour combination mostly known for Damonen royals. But don't put too much thought into it. Not a lot of people would figure that out. I just happen to notice it since I've travelled a lot myself." He swiftly switched weapons again until a sword was now in his hand and aimed at Akihiko; the blade close to the latter's neck. "Now, care to explain to me what a Damonen royal wants with this labyrinth?"

"You are the blacksmith that lives in the town close to the border between Stahlern and Feuern, correct?"

"I am. What's your point? Does Damonen want anything from me? And why send a royal?"

"This is not involved with Damonen. I sought you and this labyrinth out for my own reasons. I've been told that this labyrinth may hold an item that I need known as the metal ore that never breaks."

Despite hearing the reason in Akihiko's words, the blacksmith's sword would not waver and kept its position near the silver haired man's nape. The raven haired man's grey eyes stared deep into Akihiko's, making sure to confirm that the words shared the same truth with his own violet eyes.

"And how am I involved with this?" the blacksmith asked.

"I seek freedom," Akihiko replied, "I was told to makes bonds with people of different continents and obtain certain items from said continents, then return to Damonen and fight my brother, the ruler of Damonen, in order to obtain it," He figured it wasn't going to help him much, so he remembered the trump card Hiroki recommended. "I know about you as you were requested by Hiroki."

The blacksmith lowered his sword at the name. "Hiroki?" he asked, "I had believed that he died with the rest of the citizens of Feuern."

"No, he is pretty much alive. He has accompanied me here to seek you out. We got separated as we tried searching for you through this labyrinth."

"It doesn't seem that you are lying," said the blacksmith, "However, I can't fully trust that you are telling the truth either. I will accompany you the rest of the way through the labyrinth to reach the end and then return back. If we find Hiroki on the way, I will consider your words truth and resume to accompany you until your task is complete. However, if we do not find him, I will consider your words false and you will die where you stand."

"Very well," Akihiko replied, "We should be able to find Hiroki. He has one of my demons with him, helping him find his way. I am not sure if he has already reached the end or not, but standing here will not assure anything."

The blacksmith nodded. "You are right. Best to keep going." He took out a compass from his pocket and looked at it, only to get frustrated. "Damn this labyrinth!" he cursed, "It's been messing up my compass. It's true what they say about compasses not working here."

"There's nothing to worry about," Akihiko assured him, "Suzuki #2 can sense the way through. I wouldn't have gotten this far if not for him. Suzuki #2, lead the way!"

Suzuki #2 nodded and led Akihiko and the blacksmith to the next section of the labyrinth, searching for the end of the labyrinth and for Hiroki. Once again, Akihiko's life was at stake, but he expected nothing less. His life would always be at stake as long as he seeks his freedom and until he obtains it. They ran as fast as they could through the labyrinth, encountering demons as they went. The blacksmith was able to use any weapon that suit the situation, while Akihiko struggled using his own bare hands. The blacksmith noticed this and handed what looked like a long metal stick to Akihiko.

"What is this?" he asked.

"That," the blacksmith answered, "is a staff. It will be a lot more useful to you than fighting using no weapon. You never know when you will encounter an enemy with a weapon difficult to block."

Akihiko took this into consideration and tried mastering the staff against the demons. It was a lot easier to use as he could still retain some distance and deal with his opponents. With this used, their way through the labyrinth was easier. Akihiko was in awe with the blacksmith. He knew which weapon is most effective during the situation and was able to switch in a breeze. He was indeed a weapon's master.

After a long way, they managed to reach the end. Both Akihiko and the blacksmith tried to catch their breath. They finally made it. They figured they were now safe from any more danger, but were proved wrong when Suzuki #2 squeaked and went to find a hiding place. Both men looked up and found that they were in trouble.

Standing before them was a golem made entirely out of metal. It laughed before it smashed its arm to the ground. Akihiko and the blacksmith dodged the attacks; Akihiko by rolling to the side and the blacksmith by jumping backwards. The golem tried another attack on the blacksmith but the latter blocked it with a mace. Once the monster was off guard, the blacksmith struck him with the mace. However, it not even made a scratch on it. The golem glared at the blacksmith and smashed him against the wall.

Now it was Akihiko's turn to land an attack. He struck lightning at the golem in hopes that it would take damage from that. But the lightning reflected off the golem's metal body and flew back to Akihiko, who dodged the attack. What could he do? There was no way to defeat this monster.

But he was proven wrong.

The golem was shot in the back from some sort of blast and fell down. Akihiko looked and saw who it was. It was Hiroki. He was able to find them. He smirked. "What would you do without me, huh Akihiko?"

Akihiko smirked back. He looked back at the golem, which was trying to get back on its feet. He noticed how the monster was weakened by Hiroki's attack. He knew what needed to be done.

"Hiroki, we'll need another blast of fire on this guy," he called out, "No other attacks will work on it."

"Alright then," Hiroki replied, preparing another blast, "TIME TO TAKE THIS MOTHERFUCKER DOWN!" He gave the monster another blast and it began to melt. The monster was defeated. With the monster out, both Suzuki and Suzuki #2 came out of their hiding places and began to dance around. Hiroki was about to say something to Akihiko when the blacksmith snuck up behind him and gave him a hug.

"Oh my little Hiroki!" he cried, "How I missed you! I thought that you might've died with the others but I'm glad you're okay!"

Hiroki growled and flipped the blacksmith over onto his back. "You stupid blacksmith! Don't ever do that! And quit calling me Little Hiroki!"

The blacksmith sat up and pouted. "Don't be like that Sweet Little Hiroki! I've known you since you were so small. I remember you would always run around the town naked. It was so cute!"

Hiroki blushed out of embarrassment. "Sh-Shut up!" he yelled, "Not in front of Akihiko!"

Akihiko had a hard time trying not to laugh from this. The blacksmith kept telling stories that flustered Hiroki. These were things about Hiroki the silver haired man didn't know. But he didn't bother listening to everything. He was too focused on something he noticed from the remains of the metal golem. The golem had melted into a silver metal plate, but something was resting on top of it.

An ore was resting on top of the plate. Funny how this didn't melt along with the rest of the monster. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a very clean cut ore. There were no chips on any of the sides nor were there any signs of damage. His eyes widened at the realization. _This_ was it.

"The metal ore that never breaks."

Hiroki and the blacksmith had finished their quarrelling to notice Akihiko and the ore. The blacksmith walked over to the silver haired man. "The metal ore that never breaks. It was supposed to be a pure myth that it rested in this labyrinth. Never in my 35 years have I ever thought I would see it with my own eyes." He began to pace. "You both are on a journey that may prove to be a change in history."

"And how are you sure of that?" asked Hiroki.

"It is a feeling I have," replied the blacksmith, "Searching for rare items very few would ever get the chance of seeing, obtaining allies from continents that may hold onto pasts that believe Damonen is an enemy, and fighting someone of superior power. This is more than just a simple task. No, this is something far greater than that."

Hiroki crossed his arms and smirked. "This isn't your blacksmith self talking," he chuckled, "The weapon's master inside of you is finally returning isn't it? Weapon's Master Miyagi."

The blacksmith, Miyagi, smirked back. "I admit, it will be nice to return to travelling from continent to continent. My knowledge shall prove useful to you on your journey."

Akihiko nodded. He now had obtained another powerful ally. After Miyagi had taken the metal from the golem, they went back the way they came through the labyrinth. With both the Suzukis with them, they were able to make it through even quicker. They were able to escape the labyrinth and were leaving the Metal Mine.

"So, you managed to obtain two items already after defeating two guardians. How admirable."

The Suzukis flew away and Akihiko and Hiroki raised their guard. Miyagi was not sure with what was going on, but figured by his new companions' expressions that nothing good would come out of this.

Standing before them was Shinoda.

**Pinkshuchan: Well, Akihiko now has Miyagi in his team and may be facing off against Shinoda. That aside, that means that the next ally will result in one of the couples being formed. There is a 1 out of 3 chance that it may be your favourite pairing but remember that no matter what, all pairings will be involved. What will happen now that they have encountered Shinoda once again? Read and Review!**eHe


	9. Battle of Sound

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! It's Pinkshuchan! Last chapter, Miyagi the blacksmith/ weapon's master was introduced and Akihiko and Hiroki had obtained the metal ore that never breaks. However, the moment they left the labyrinth, they had once again bumped into Shinoda. What will happen now that he's here? Will Akihiko beat him this time? Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

Battle of Sound

Shinoda stood before them with a smirk on his face and the whip in his hands. How he managed to find them was truly a mystery. Even so, Akihiko knew that they shouldn't let their guard down. No doubt the Damonen Knight had searched for them to even the score and to take Hiroki back. This could not happen.

"I admit that I never thought that you would get this far Prince Akihiko," Shinoda continued, "The fact that you have succeeded to obtain the flame that never goes out and the metal ore that never breaks means that you have grown stronger indeed. I am curious as to how you can stand on your own against me without anyone to help you."

Hiroki stood closer to Akihiko and looked up at him in worry. "Don't do it Akihiko," he whispered, "I can see it in his eyes. He has some sort of trick up his sleeve. If you're not careful, you may just lose your life."

But Akihiko just smirked at him. "You have nothing to worry about," he replied, "When I first fought him, I didn't know what skills he had. Now that I know he's one of the Five Damonen Knights, I know what I'm up against. Trust me! I know I can win!"

Although the silver haired prince said that, it did not help Hiroki. Yes, Shinoda was one of the Five Damonen Knights. But even so, could Akihiko stand a chance against him?

Akihiko walked over to Shinoda. "Alright Shinoda," he agreed, "I won't lose!"

Shinoda's smirk grew bigger. "Alright," he replied, "But to make things truly fair, this is a one-on-one battle. In other words, your allies can't help you this time." He took out another item and threw it high before it exploded. It was like last time when the item created an invisible barrier to stop demons. But could it really stop humans?

Hiroki began charging at the barrier regardless of Miyagi's attempts to try to stop him. But like last time when he was mostly demon than human, it pushed him back. Hiroki fell to the ground. Miyagi ran over to him.

"Are you alright Hiroki?" he asked in concern.

The cinnamon haired man glared at the barrier and growled. "Damn that hunter!" he roared; a lion's roar following afterwards, causing Miyagi to jump in shock.

"What?" said Miyagi, "You roared like a lion! And what does that Damonen hunter want with your friend?"

"It's not Akihiko he truly wants," Hiroki replied, "To Shinoda, Akihiko is nothing more than an obstacle for what he truly wants. He's after me."

"But why?"

"It's hard to explain. You probably won't believe me if I tell you. But I can't tell you now; Akihiko is in danger!"

Hiroki tried to stand up and fight the barrier again, but Miyagi held him back. "We mustn't, Hiroki!" he told him, "That is a powerful barrier. It won't let anything in. This barrier will stay up until the battle is done."

"But Akihiko-!"

Miyagi shook his head. "All we can do is hope that he survives."

Hiroki refused to take that offer. But what else could he do? It was like Miyagi said; the barrier was too powerful for them to break. All they could do is watch and hope that Akihiko makes it out alive. He stared at them with worry in his red eyes. "Akihiko," he whispered in pain.

Both Damonen born stood in a fighting stance with their weapons; Shinoda with his whip and Akihiko with his staff. Not long after did the fight begin with Shinoda making the first move. Akihiko used his staff to block any attacks the whip made, but would occasionally try to dodge any he felt he couldn't block. Same thing with Shinoda whenever Akihiko made an attack. Both had cuts and bruises from all their attacks. They were tied.

Shinoda chuckled. "It seems you have grown stronger since we last met. I am impressed. However, I'm afraid that it will take a lot more than that to beat me. As you know, residents of Damonen has two types of powers; the ability to summon demons, and another differs on the person. What is mine, you ask?" He took a deep breath before he let out a big scream that let out a sonic boom. Akihiko fell backwards the moment the sonic boom hit him. His left shoulder hit hard on a rock, dislocating it. Hiroki and Miyagi would've also fallen backwards if not for the barrier. Even so, they still had to cover their ears from how loud the scream was.

Once he had finished his attack, Shinoda looked at Akihiko and laughed. "It's like I said; you don't stand a chance against me or any other Damonen Knight out there. You might as well surrender now. You'll still be killed, but at least your death will quick and painless."

Akihiko glared at Shinoda. "Never," he responded, "I will not give in to Damonen," He began standing up again, though it proved difficult with the damage already on him. "Dead or alive, I will fight for my freedom. AND NO ONE IS GONNA STOP ME!"

"We'll see about that!" Shinoda raised his whip and struck at Akihiko, only for the latter to block with his staff using one arm. It wasn't as effective though, as without having both arms to hold it, the staff was flimsy in his grasp. Shinoda easily managed to knock it out and strike him on the chest, receiving a groan of agony from the silver haired man.

"Akihiko!" Hiroki cried out. He felt so useless. Akihiko was suffering, fighting for what he believed in, and Hiroki was unable to do anything to help him. He could only sit there in pain. His eyes stung, wanting to produce tears but couldn't let it out. As for Miyagi, he stared at Hiroki before looking back at Akihiko. He had a gut feeling that the silver haired man wasn't going to go down that easily. He was strong; he just needed to properly release that strength.

"And now," Shinoda continued, "I shall finish you off!" He let out another scream, releasing another sonic boom. Akihiko felt like his entire body could be torn apart. He fell to the ground. But he couldn't give up. He knew he could win. He pushed his body hard enough to fight against the sonic boom. He struggled to succeed, but he was stubborn enough to fight until the very end.

Slowly, Akihiko pushed himself to stand back up. With a long struggle, he managed to get back up on his own two feet. His victory depended on one attack. It was time for him to show Shinoda what his own abilities could do. He held his good arm out and his hand glowed violet with static surrounding it. He let out a few lightning bolts. He just hoped they were strong enough to stop Shinoda's sonic boom and defeat him.

The bolts floated in thin air and pushed against the sonic boom. Back and forth they pushed against each other. Everyone's heartbeats were pounding in their chests. Which will be stronger and cancel the other out? Will Akihiko turn things around?

A lilac purple glow began to form on the lightning bolts and the sonic boom. It grew and grew until it was so bright, it was impossible to see anything. Hiroki and Miyagi covered their eyes from their safe distance. What had happened?

The glow faded. They looked over at the victor with widened eyes. He walked to the loser of the battle in great satisfaction. This was the end.

Akihiko had won.

He held his staff in one hand, helping him keep his balance as he stood before Shinoda, who knelt on the ground with almost as much injuries as Akihiko. He only needed to make one more blow on the hunter before killing him for good. He raised his arm and was about to use another lightning bolt.

"That is enough!"

Akihiko was pushed back from a mysterious force. A well dressed man stood there, helping Shinoda up by lending him his shoulder. The silver haired man knew who that man was.

"Tanaka," he spoke up, "A good friend yet a loyal servant to the royalty of Damonen."

"I am not here to fight you Akihiko," Tanaka replied, "I am only here to retrieve Master Shinoda and take him to a healer. Although he lost to you, he is still a loyal Damonen Knight. Who knows what may happen to all of Elementar if he was to die right here."

Akihiko was unsure of what to do. The injured man before him was the man that not only almost succeeded in killing him, he also turned all of Feuern's citizens into demons to be used against the silver haired man, but they may also be dead with Hiroki being the only survivor. However, even Hiroki was no longer truly human. As an act of vengeance, he could kill Shinoda right there.

And yet he was afraid. Tanaka himself looked worried about what would happen if Akihiko killed Shinoda. Although despicable, Shinoda was still a Damonen Knight. The roles of the Five Damonen Knights were to protect Elementar should anything involving the demons happen. What would happen to Elementar itself should any Damonen Knight fall now.

He sighed and turned away. "I'm not letting him live because I want him to," he told the older man, "I just don't want to see anything happen to Elementar."

Tanaka gave a sincere smile. "I thank you Prince Akihiko." Without another word, Tanaka disappeared with Shinoda. Akihiko, sapped out all his energy, fell to the ground. With the battle done, Hiroki assumed that the barrier was gone and ran to his friend's aid like the latter did for him, with Miyagi following behind.

"Akihiko!" the cinnamon haired man cried out. His worry had now fully consumed him. Nothing else mattered; he just hoped that Akihiko was okay.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer," Miyagi warned them, "Demons could be coming for us whether we expect them or not. We should take him back to town to rest."

And so, Hiroki and Miyagi carried Akihiko back to the town and in Miyagi's blacksmith workshop. Once they were inside, they carried him to the back bedroom and laid him down. Akihiko couldn't believe how weak he felt at this moment. He had to assure them that he was fine. But his wounds said otherwise. He was lucky to be able to survive the fight and win against Shinoda. But there was no way he was going to be able to continue until all his wounds were gone.

"I can keep going," Akihiko kept trying to tell them, "I'm not going to let these wounds stop me."

"Face it Akihiko," Hiroki replied, "You can't even stand properly. We will continue on when your wounds have healed. Shinoda was a difficult opponent for you. You were lucky this fight, but if he or any other Damonen Knight were to find you…" He couldn't continue. The thought was too painful.

Miyagi, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up. "I can only understand a little bit of what's going on," he explained honestly, "Akihiko is a prince of Damonen, right? And he is obtaining his freedom. While I know that Damonen law is strict, am I to assume that even a _prince_ will be sentenced to death if against Damonen's laws?"

"I will assume so," said Hiroki, "Even though Shinoda was originally after me, considering I was the only one of the test subjects to change not as a demon, but as a half demon, the moment he knew about Akihiko and the fact that he was a prince, he wasn't hesitant to kill him."

"Nevertheless, Akihiko is still alive and able to continue to fight for his freedom."

Everyone turned their heads to see the infamous Aikawa standing there with a smile on her face. Akihiko knew it; she was the one in the guise of the old woman that lead them to the Metal Mine.

"Congratulations Akihiko," she continued, clapping her hands, "Not only have you obtained two of the five items and gained alliance with not only the Lion Child but also the Weapon's Master, you have also defeated one of the Five Damonen Knights. Then again, I knew you could do it."

Akihiko sat up and stared at the red haired woman. "Aikawa, the way you speak, it's as if you know everything that's going to happen to me."

"Do I?" she asked, "I never thought so."

"If that's the case, does that mean you know where all the items are and who my future allies are going to be?"

"Possibly."

"So then you can tell me who my next ally is and where I can find them. Along the way I can obtain the items."

Aikawa giggled. "You really want to know? Alright, I guess I'll tell you." Your next ally is…" Akihiko leaned forward to listen. "…Your next ally."

He felt duped. "Thanks for nothing," he growled as he crossed his arms.

She looked at him with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Akihiko, but I honestly can't tell you who your next allies are; not because I don't know, but because it would ruin the entire point of the alliances. Your alliances, if I tell you, will feel more forced. You'll have to figure out who will be next on your own. I can tell you one thing though. Everyone's lives will be changed the moment you make an alliance with all your allies. For better or worse will depend on what you do." And with that, she disappeared. What did she mean by that? Akihiko knew he would figure it out as soon as he continues his journey.

**Pinkshuchan: Phew! Yay! New chapter out! I've had a lot of things to do so I'm glad I've had the time to get this done. What is to happen next? Read and Review!**


	10. A Cat in Heat and Love

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey, it's Pinkshuchan. I'm really hoping that everyone is still enjoying the story. I don't have much to say so here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

A Cat in Heat and Love

"It appears that Akihiko will be well enough to continue on tomorrow," Miyagi exclaimed to Hiroki as he walked down the stairs.

Right after Aikawa's visit, Miyagi was able to get a doctor to help tend to Akihiko's wounds. The silver haired man was mesmerized with Stahlern's way of healing. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. With how deep the wounds are, it was possible that Akihiko had to wait a bit before he would be healed enough to continue on the journey.

Three days had already passed, and during that time and Stahlern's way of healing, Akihiko's wounds weren't as bad. It was believed that he would be back to normal by the next day. This is where we begin.

Hiroki, who just finished having a chug of the water in the gourd, put the gourd down and crossed his arms. "About damn time," he huffed, "I was getting tired of waiting if he gets better or not."

Although his attitude didn't look it, Miyagi could see in Hiroki's eyes that he was deeply relieved to hear of Akihiko's condition. After all, he was the one that kept worrying about him during the battle against Shinoda and was pacing around while Akihiko was being treated.

During that time, Hiroki explained everything to Miyagi who was confused with everything. He explained Shinoda's reasoning to be after them, why he wanted Hiroki, the fact that he was now a lion half demon, and the mysterious woman Aikawa who they don't know much about; only know that she's trying to help Akihiko. Miyagi found it difficult to grasp all that information. It all sounded so bizarre to comprehend. However, it did make sense on how Hiroki was the only survivor of Feuern.

Hiroki got up from where he was sitting and began to pace slowly. "Anyway, knowing Akihiko, he'll also want to get this journey over and done with," he continued, "After all, freedom is something all living beings must have."

Miyagi smirked. "You really want to help him get his freedom that bad, huh?"

The cinnamon haired man blushed hard. "Well, yeah. I know how it feels to want freedom. After all, I was originally a prisoner when they tried to turn me into a demon. And Akihiko helped me escape Shinoda's grasp. It's only natural that I return the favour."

"No, I think it's more than that," Miyagi said as he shook his head, "Your emotions and actions involving Akihiko indicate something else. Like you're in love with him."

"WHAT?!" Hiroki fell back, "Me? In love with Akihiko? I think age has really caught up to you Miyagi." He began laughing in an obnoxious tone. "HAHA! Imagine; me, with Akihiko. A complete riot. HAHA! Haha! Ha." His laughter died down in a hurt way. "Akihiko and I are friends. We known each other six years ago but we didn't have much time to talk before my village was wiped. And yet… he never left my mind, no matter what happened to me. Part of why I was able to save myself from becoming a complete demon was because… I wanted to him again… but not to kill him."

Miyagi walked over to Hiroki and placed his hands on the latter's shoulders. "Hiroki, I've known you for a long time. Never have I seen you have a look like that to anyone else you knew. You were afraid Akihiko was going to lose his life, more so than losing your own freedom. It is love Hiroki. Love is a precious thing you must never let go of. He may also be in love with you as well."

Hiroki pulled away and looked at Miyagi with hurt eyes. "Have you forgotten what I told you? I'm no longer a full human; I'm a monster. And Akihiko, although he refuses to accept that role, he is still a prince by blood. Would a prince really fall for a monster? Would _anyone_ fall for a monster?"

"You are not a monster," said Miyagi, "You may not be full human like you used to be, but you are still Hiroki. That has not changed."

"Forget it! This conversation is over!" Hiroki grabbed the gourd from where he left it and stormed upstairs in emotional pain as Akihiko reached the bottom. The silver haired man was confused. He asked Miyagi what happened.

The older man sighed. "It's nothing. Hiroki is being as stubborn as I remember him from the past. Even so, he still has an adorable side to him." Akihiko was not sure about that but decided to let that go. Miyagi continued. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be staying in bed? If you don't rest, the journey will be delayed longer."

"I'm fine," Akihiko replied annoyed, "Nothing hurts. If nothing hurts it means I'm well already. But there is one thing that's been bugging me and I assume that you may be the only one who may tell me."

"I'll bite," Miyagi replied as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, "What is it you want to ask?"

Akihiko took a deep breath. "From what I remember in my studies before I left, Damonen provides demons to help assist the laws of all continents, is that correct?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

"From what Hiroki told me, if I were to appear anywhere with any of my demons with me, that would make me their enemy. Why would they attack those with demons when they don't despise the demons themselves."

Miyagi sighed. "It's not that people 'hate' anyone from Damonen," he explained, "It's more of an intimidation really. Demons serve to protect continents and keep peace. But if something out of the demon's control comes along, it is the Five Damonen Knights' job to handle it themselves. The knights don't really dress any different from anyone else and makes them incognito when in the other continents. Their identities are revealed, however, when they summon their demons. And sometimes, their enemy could be a citizen that constantly breaks laws.

"Citizens, as a result, get paranoid whenever they see a Damonen citizen. They don't know if the Damonen traveller is a Damonen Knight or someone else. They travel anywhere, it makes people scared as to what they've done. They will turn against the Damonen born to try to save their own skin."

"So it's more of fear then of hatred," Akihiko concluded.

Miyagi nodded. "But I wouldn't worry about that Akihiko. You just needed to avoid summoning demons in front of citizens of other continents unless necessary. And it's as I said before; you won't be easily recognized by anyone unless they've been around." He walked to the door. "Well, if we're going to continue the journey tomorrow, we're going to need supplies. I'll go get some. Meanwhile you should get back to bed. We have a big day tomorrow and you don't need your wounds opening up again." As the older man left, Akihiko rolled his eyes before heading back upstairs.

As he went up the stairs, he heard a moan coming from up there. He continued up the stairs cautiously, unsure of what it was. When he was up the stairs enough that he could see the room, he was completely shocked with the scene before him.

Hiroki was on the bed he was lent, stripped off all his clothes, on his knees with one hand on his groin and the other fingering himself. Obviously the latter hadn't noticed Akihiko yet as he kept going, moaning when he hit his good spot but kept it low as he didn't seem to want to be heard. But it didn't last long, as when he leaned back; he caught a glimpse of Akihiko. Hiroki turned around in shock but still had a look of arousal on his face.

"Akihiko," he whispered before another moan slipped out. The silver haired man couldn't believe his eyes. What had happened to his friend? Yet another moan came out. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Hiroki, what is wrong with you?" he cried out, running over to him. Hiroki looked up at him; his cheeks flushed and his eyes filled with lust. Before he knew it, Hiroki did something completely unexpected.

He pulled Akihiko down onto the bed, climbed on top of him, and began kissing him. The silver haired man was not sure what was going on. He tried to push the cinnamon haired male off but he was determined. While kissing, Hiroki also tried to take Akihiko's pants down. Once successful, he went down and began sucking at Akihiko's member.

"W-What are you-?!" But he couldn't continue that sentence. He ended up moaning with the pleasure. It… felt good.

Once Hiroki was satisfied with his work, he climbed on Akihiko again and lowered himself onto the silver haired man's member. Akihiko tried to stop it, but he couldn't help but feel the pleasure in it as well. And who knows; maybe this would help the lust consuming his friend and bring him back to his normal self.

Hiroki kept going up and down on Akihiko, both moaning with the pleasure. Eventually, both reached their climax. Both were panting from the excitement that happened. Hiroki looked at Akihiko and blushed in embarrassment, rapidly climbing off him. Akihiko looked at him in confusement. He didn't know what was wrong.

"I'm sorry about that Akihiko," Hiroki spoke up, "I didn't want you to see myself get like that."

"So this is not the first time?" Akihiko asked.

The cinnamon haired male lowered his head. "I thought that these would disappear along with my demon form by drinking the water. But apparently I was wrong. For you to just witness me at my weak point… let alone be forced into it…"

This didn't make things any clearer. "Hiroki, explain. What had happened to you?" Hiroki didn't want to tell his friend a horrible truth. But he knew the silver haired man; he was persistent. He won't give up until the other male told him what it was. He took a deep breath before telling an embarrassing story.

"When my village was taken away, we were first held as slaves. We were given little food and little rest. Every day was a never ending torture. The women of our village had it worse though. They were used to satisfy those monsters' sexual desires. When our people turned into demons one by one, the amount of women became less and less.

"It was one day when one of the men, Shinoda to be precise, decided to use me as his sex toy. I was forced to do everything to pleasure him. And despite hating it, my body was consumed with pleasure. Shortly after, they decided to use me for something I didn't know what. It was the machine that was to turn me into a full demon. I fought it and I succeeded to break free before I was a complete demon." He looked at his hands. "But I didn't get out of there without a sacrifice. I was turned into a half demon. I managed to escape from their grasp and found myself back into my village which is now in ruin.

"Aside from my appearance, because of what happened before the transformation, because I was forced as a sex toy, my body would occasionally break into heat and consume my mind with pleasure. I would use anything I could get my paws on to satisfy me. It even consumed me to the point where I allowed Shinoda to have his way with me again when he found me. I was able to force him away right after of course. But it didn't matter. I didn't just become half lion, I also literally become a cat in heat, consumed with pleasure."

Akihiko sat there as Hiroki finished his story and began to cry shortly after. He knew the cinnamon haired male had a tough time becoming a half demon but to also suffer through an unwanted pleasure? He pulled Hiroki close for an embrace and tried to comfort him. He was still angry himself for being forced into something like that himself, but considering it was something Hiroki could not control, he couldn't blame his friend.

"Listen to me," Akihiko spoke up, "I don't think any different of you because of this. You went through a lot because of them. I can never forgive Damonen for doing that to you."

Hiroki couldn't believe his ears. Akihiko felt that way for him? Could that mean…? No! It was too much wishful thinking. Hiroki didn't want to ruin his friendship with Akihiko because of his feelings. He leaned his head on Akihiko's shoulder and let the tears out until he couldn't cry anymore. Akihiko kept holding his friend close, never leaving his side in his moment of need.

When everything was silent, Hiroki looked up at Akihiko. "I didn't open up any wounds by doing that, did I?"

Akihiko shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm fine. You were the one doing most of the work." He looked at the window on the side and noticed how dark it was out there. "Miyagi will be returning with some supplies for tomorrow. Best get some sleep."

Hiroki nodded. "Again, I'm sorry Akihiko." He lied down on the bed and went to sleep. As Akihiko himself went to his own bed, Hiroki's story rang through his head. Anger for Damonen grew. For them to do that to his friend, his wish to break free from his ties of Damonen grew stronger.

Meanwhile back at Damonen, Haruhiko sat in his throne and sighed. "Shinoda failed against Akihiko. And just when I thought Akihiko couldn't be anymore annoying."

"I've never seen you be like this before Brother Haruhiko. Brother Akihiko must have surely done something to infuriate you."

Haruhiko looked over at the owner of that voice then looked back. "You know damn well. Damonen Knight #5, the Beast Hunter Shinoda has fallen. Although this failure isn't severe enough to have his rank taken from him, the fact that he failed serves as a problem."

"But you forget Brother Haruhiko," the voice replied, "He was the lowest rank. Surely someone of higher rank can defeat him."

"And that is why it is convenient that you are here, considering you are Damonen Knight #4. You will go deal with Akihiko yourself?"

"Of course. Kin or acquaintance, any Damonen blood that betray their duties must be eliminated. If a demon cannot kill him, only the Damonen Knights can. Brother Akihiko will not go farther; he will die by one beautiful strike."

"Good," said Haruhiko, "You may go. Don't you dare fail!" The figure left, leaving Haruhiko on his own.

**Pinkshuchan: Well, well. What is to happen now? I'm not an AkihikoxHiroki fan, but considering Hiroki's one sided love with him is canon I figured it would be something to add here too. Will make things interesting for future chapters. Please Read and Review!**


	11. Beautiful but Deadly

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey everyone! Pinkshuchan here. I'm hoping everyone is still enjoying Prince of Damonen so far. I don't have every much to say here so here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

Beautiful but Deadly

The sun shined bright as it reached its peak, standing out in the cloudless blue sky. It watched as an old horse and buggy travelled across the lifeless fields of Stahlern and was heading farther into another continent; the next destination.

Akihiko couldn't sit still the entire ride. He had never travelled around in a horse and buggy before let alone around Stahlern. It was all so exciting to him. Hiroki on the other hand had been quiet the entire time since they woke up. Even when Miyagi presented him with metal knuckles with steel claws as his other weapon besides his fire abilities, the cinnamon haired man only replied to a small thank you and said nothing else. The oldest man didn't know what was wrong, although he had a feeling it had something to do with Akihiko as Hiroki would constantly give small glances at the silver haired man when he wasn't looking.

As they kept going, they noticed how the scenery changed. What was first fields of dried up grass slowly started sprouting evergreen trees. The horse and buggy stopped the moment it reached some sort of cave.

"This is the farthest I can take you," the driver of the buggy called out to them, "You'll have to go the rest of the way on your own."

The three men got off and began walking to the cave. "Thanks a lot," Miyagi replied back to the driver, "We greatly appreciate it." And then they disappeared in the darkness of the cave.

This cave was unlike any cave Akihiko had ever seen. There were lots of holes in the ceiling of the cave to provide light for them to see. As they walked, they found lots of carvings. The silver haired man asked Miyagi, considering he was the expert having travelled everywhere before. The older man replied by saying that the carvings weren't anything important, but rather they were decoration. Akihiko was not sure himself. He wondered if there was actually a story behind them.

Their way through the cave was not a safe one. Demons kept popping up everywhere as they continued on. These demons weren't too strong so Akihiko only used his staff to get rid of them. And for Miyagi and Hiroki, they too saw no need to go extreme on them. As a result, Miyagi only used a shortsword against them and Hiroki only used the metal claws, not bothering to use his fire. To keep them safe, Akihiko summoned Suzuki once again to warn them if anymore demons came.

They finally made it out of the cave safe. They found themselves on a pathway on a cliff, giving them a good view of the beauty before them. Akihiko went for a closer look and found the scenery absolutely breathtaking.

There before them was an entire forest of evergreen trees that expanded across the land. There were little patches of green grass in some spots and there was even rock with a waterfall leading to a river. This was what Akihiko called a perfect paradise. This was the place he wanted to live in as soon as he got his freedom.

"Like the view, don't you?" asked Miyagi, snapping Akihiko out of his thoughts, "Then again, there's no better place than Erden, the Earth Continent."

Hiroki huffed. "I'm sure it's not that great," he replied with his arms crossed, "Especially its people. They're all tree huggers I bet."

"They do care for trees, yes," said Miyagi, "But the people of Erden care for anything; it doesn't matter if it's plant or animal. Erden, the spiritual being that was responsible for this continent's creation, was a kind being that wouldn't hurt a fly."

"A guy like that would be beaten up for being that soft."

"She, Hiroki. She is female; the only female of all the spiritual beings. And on the contrary, she was deeply admired by the other spiritual beings, especially since she is known as Peace. Her love for all living things was so great and how beautiful this place became because of that love had the citizens call by another name; Mother Nature. Not only that, but the people born here in Erden are known to be absolutely beautiful, just like Erden herself." He began walking away. "But enough about Erden's history. We have the next item and our future ally to find, isn't that right?"

Akihiko nodded as he and Hiroki followed him further on. It didn't stop them from conversing with themselves while walking. Miyagi continued on. "So Akihiko, we're almost halfway there. After Erden, there's still Ozean and Kurbeln, right? And then Damonen where you fight your brother, obtain your freedom, maybe find yourself a cute girl-!"

At saying cute girl, Hiroki smacked him in the head. "You idiot!" he yelled, "Akihiko can't focus on that now. His freedom is most important to him. Why would he look for a girl?"

"But Little Hiroki," said Miyagi, "Just look at him. Akihiko is no doubt the type of man who girls won't be able to keep their eyes off of. I wouldn't be surprised if he could win himself a princess."

Hiroki grabbed Miyagi's shirt and pulled the older man close so their eyes were at the same level. "Listen here!" he growled, "You keep this up, you're going to experience a slow painful death at your age."

"Understandable," Hiroki let go. Miyagi just smirked. "But we both know it's not because you're annoyed with the conversation but rather with something else."

And by saying that, the older man was shot by one of Hiroki's fireballs, setting his butt on fire. He jumped around in pain by that but was able to grab the gourd on Hiroki's back and dump the water inside on the flames, setting them out. The cinnamon haired male pulled the ground away in anger.

"Why the hell did you do that?" he roared.

"That's what you get by throwing fire at me," Miyagi replied.

"You are lucky this gourd's supply is endless or I would've turned you inside out."

"Would you both shut up," Akihiko yelled, "Hiroki is right; I'm not interested in anything like that for now. I don't even have someone in mind right now. I have not met that person who has given me the feeling of 'Yes, that is the one'. And I know I'll never meet that person if I don't obtain my freedom."

Hiroki and Miyagi were silent. Neither had thought Akihiko would say anything like that. But the words disappointed Hiroki a little. Akihiko had not met that person he wanted which meant that Hiroki wasn't the one. He couldn't give up though. Maybe he _was_ the one and Akihiko didn't see it yet. He knew he couldn't let his feelings go unless he knew for certain.

They stopped walking as they saw someone walking their way. Who it was, they were not sure. They prepared themselves in case it was an enemy. But it turned out to be something they didn't expect.

A young woman stood there. She was dressed in a long lavender Chinese dress with lavender heels and long lavender and magenta fingerless gloves. A magenta bow was tied in her long raven hair at the back of her head. She carried a while umbrella with a cherry blossom pattern.

"Wow!" Miyagi exclaimed, "A cute girl really _did_ appear. Who knew?"

Hiroki glared at him. "You are both an idiot and a pervert. That's a terrible combination in my opinion."

Akihiko was the only one who said nothing. Instead, he pulled his staff out. Hiroki and Miyagi were confused why the silver haired man would pull out his weapon like that. But Miyagi analysed his surroundings and knew what was up.

"Lavender is another colour used to determine Damonen royalty," he explained, "More specifically females. She must be another one. Plus, I believe to recall that that bear demon of Akihiko's hides off somewhere when there's trouble."

Hiroki looked around. Miyagi was right. Suzuki was no where to be found. And looking at Akihiko's expression, he seemed to know this woman.

The young woman glanced at Akihiko before turning to the sight of Erden. "Such a beautiful place, isn't it?" she asked, "This forest is truly a peaceful paradise. However, even this place has its conflicts."

"Enough of your talk!" Akihiko snapped, "Haruhiko sent you here, didn't he, Kaoruko?"

"It is my duty to keep peace in all of Elementar," the woman, Kaoruko, replied, "After all, I am a Damonen Knight. Damonen Knight #4, the Beautiful Killer, Kaoruko."

Hiroki and Miyagi were taken aback with what she said. She is another Damonen Knight? Who had thought another one would appear this soon. She pulled out an item similar to the ones Shinoda used before and threw it, causing another barrier.

"I am sorry, Brother Akihiko," Kaoruko continued, "These are Barrier Making Items, used to prevent targets from escaping and allies from helping. This is a battle to the death. As much as I don't want to fight you, I have a reputation as a Damonen Knight to protect," She closed her umbrella and pulled something out from the pole. A katana was hidden in the umbrella. "Well then, let us begin!"

Akihiko charged at Kaoruko with staff in hand. She blocked every attack he made and vice versa when she tried striking a blow. When blocking couldn't be used, they tried dodging. However, when Akihiko tried an attack from below, Kaoruko jumped over Akihiko and managed to strike him in the back. The silver haired man cried in pain. It didn't stop him from attacking her again. But she was able to do another successful counter attack.

"You may have been able to destroy Shinoda, Brother Akihiko," she explained, "But you have yet to reach my level. Though it is expected; if you had stayed in Damonen and properly learned what you needed, you would've possibly become one of the Damonen Knights."

"I have my reasons," Akihiko replied, "Damonen is nothing but laws. There is no freedom. I am fighting for that freedom for myself! No more will I have to follow Damonen anymore."

"But tell me, Brother Akihiko. What will happen once you get your freedom? Where will you go?"

That was actually a good question. What would Akihiko do once he receives his freedom? Like Hiroki and Miyagi explained; people in other continents are not overly excited with anyone of Damonen lurking around. It wouldn't be a good thing for anyone to know he was from Damonen. Even with his freedom, he would still have the powers of someone from Damonen. If that was the case, what would he do after he obtained his freedom.

Kaoruko knew she got Akihiko's attention. "After what you did," she began again, "I don't think there will be a way to have you atone for your crime. However, I will make sure that if you surrender to Damonen, your execution will be quick and painless, unlike what will happen if you don't."

Akihiko was quiet for a bit. He then looked at Kaoruko. "It is obvious that whether I continue on or not, I will die if I don't have the strength to succeed for my freedom. However, I would rather die trying to obtain what I want then die by giving up. So what if I don't fit in with others when I obtain my freedom; I will make my life the way I want it, not the way someone else wants it to be!"

The young woman sighed. "I really didn't want it to come to this, Akihiko. But you leave me with no other choice." Her eyes began to glow. Akihiko stared, wondering what was going on.

He didn't know it would be a big mistake on his part.

Something was shot at him. He was not sure what it was. But when he tried looking around, all he could see was darkness. What had happened?

Kaoruko laughed. "Behold my power!" she yelled out, "There are many beautiful things all over the world, but how can you see them when you're blind?" She dashed as fast as she can. Akihiko tried to hit her, but without his sight, he couldn't find her exact location. Kaoruko used this as an advantage and managed to give multiple blows on the silver haired man. Akihiko fell. "And now for the final attack!" She knocked Akihiko one last time hard on the back which pushed him off the cliff.

"AKIHIKO!" Hiroki cried out, trying to run in that direction only to be stopped by Miyagi.

"No, Hiroki!" Miyagi yelled back.

The barrier disappeared and Kaoruko faced the two men left standing there. "I apologize for you having to see that. It couldn't be helped. It would be best if you ever forgot he existed." She placed her katana back into the umbrella, opened it up, and walked away.

When she disappeared from view, Hiroki slowly walked over to the cliff Akihiko fell off of. Surely the silver haired man was pretending his death to have Kaoruko off his tail. But it was in vain. He couldn't see Akihiko anywhere. All he could see was trees below them. He fell to his knees. This couldn't be happening. Akihiko couldn't be…

Miyagi walked over to the cinnamon haired male, who fell to his knees, and placed his hand on the latter's shoulder. "I am sorry, Hiroki," he said in an upset tone, "He was an interesting guy, I'll give him that."

"AKIHIKO WAS MUCH MORE THAN AN INTERESTING GUY!" Hiroki snapped at Miyagi, tears falling from his eyes, "Akihiko was… he was…"

There were two reasons why Hiroki didn't continue that. One, because there were no words to describe the type of person Akihiko was. And two, because a familiar sound got their attention.

Suzuki flew around them, no doubt in an attempt to cheer them up. Hiroki's tears still fell but for an entire different reason. "It's you!" he cried, "You're still here. Then… Akihiko, he's…!" Suzuki nodded.

Miyagi sighed in relief. "If Akihiko is still alive, we'll have to find him, won't we?" He helped Hiroki up. "It's a possibility that woman may figure that out as well. We better find Akihiko before she does." Hiroki nodded, wiping away his tears, and with Suzuki leading they went to find Akihiko.

As for Akihiko, he indeed miraculously survived the fall. All the trees served as nets as he fell, but after falling in one, he would start falling into another. This patterned continued until he fell through a hole on the ground and fell hard into some dark place. He lost consciousness during the fall. If his wounds were not healed, he was likely to die pretty soon.

But when Akihiko fell in, there was something else there. After being startled by the silver haired man's drop, it ran behind a rock. When he didn't move, it slowly came out of its hiding place. It cautiously walked over to the unconscious man and looked at him. It knelt down before him to get an even closer look. A tiny, gentle hand hesitantly brushed the silver bangs from the well chiselled face and felt the burning forehead. The touch of that gently hand caused a soft baritone groan from the silver haired man. That something, or more, someone else gasped and quickly took their hand away.

With Akihiko unconscious, he is unsure if he is truly safe, or if he really was as good as dead.

**Pinkshuchan: And that is it for this chapter. Who or what is it that had found Akihiko? Are things going to get better for him or worse? Read and Review everyone!**


	12. Angel of the Flower Garden

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey, it's Pinkshuchan. Last chapter, Akihiko fought the next Damonen Knight, Kaoruko. It resulted with him falling off a cliff. However, he miraculously survived. What will happen to him? We will find out. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

Angel of the Flower Garden

He woke up, staring at the clear blue sky and the white fluffy clouds that were going by. A few birds flew by in his sight. He sat up to look at his surrounding and ended up staring in awe.

He was in some sort of wide, natural flower garden in the middle of tall, stone walls of the cliffs. The flowers were a variety of types and colours, forming a rainbow on the ground, but still separated enough to see the fresh, bright green grass. Among evergreen trees were cherry blossom trees, magnolia trees, and any other tree with flowers, not to mention some fruit trees. The sound of a river could be heard close by. Never in his life had he ever seen such a beautiful garden and so natural looking.

His mazement with the garden was interrupted when a soft singing voice echoed in the cool, fresh air. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he followed the direction of the voice. He was right in assuming there was a river, which appeared before him filled with water lilies. It was obvious this garden really had a love of all flowers. But he didn't know that he was about to see the most beautiful sight of all from this garden.

There was definitely someone else in the garden other than him. He was too far away to figure out who it was but all he could tell was that the figure appeared to be walking among the river while singing. He moved closer but not close enough to be noticed. Judging by what he could see, he guessed that the figure was a young woman.

The young woman walked among the river, singing her little tune and carrying a bouquet of pink roses, when a few small creatures ran to her, carrying more pink roses. She knelt down and accepted the roses, bringing them together to make a bigger bouquet. She knelt down to the ground, putting the roses down, and pulling out what looked like a ribbon. She tied the bouquet together while still singing her soft tune. Once it was tied together, she laid down on the grass and chuckled before rolling over onto her stomach. The little creatures came over to her and she pet them. She then stood back up and twirled around while laughing.

It was time for a closer look. He slowly moved closer, making sure not to alarm the girl. However, she still caught sight of him when she stopped twirling around. She gasped when she saw him and stood still. He too stood still, taking in the sight of the girl before him and her appearance.

She was very young. Her light skin appeared soft to the touch. He noticed the fact that she was barefoot, but figured that was her way of being true to the surroundings. She wore a long pink loincloth styled skirt with a golden trim around her waist. A pink halter top with a gold strap around her neck hid her flat chest, pretty flat for a girl, and exposed her midriff, making her small curves even more noticeable. Darker pink bands covered her entire wrists and a hair band made of light pink flowers rested perfectly in her long chocolate locks that reached all the way down her back. And her face; her face had to be her most beautiful feature. A heart shaped face with blushed cheeks, lips like the petals of the pink roses she was picking, and her eyes, oh her eyes. Her eyes were basically big, emerald dew drops. It would be hard to believe that she was not an angel.

Her face, which looked surprised at first, began looking relieved. "You woke up," she spoke, "Thank goodness," It shocked him to see tears fall down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. You fell from the sky and appeared unconscious. You still reacted when I touched so I knew you couldn't be dead. But even after I healed your wounds, you wouldn't break out of your unconscious state. By still being unconscious after being healed, I assumed you were going to…" She didn't continue, but rather cried harder.

His heart skipped a beat. He walked closer to her and pulled her close. He felt like he needed to comfort her. She just stood there, letting her tears fall, as he held her. "Please stop crying," he told her softly. She only shook her head against his chest. He looked down at her. Never had he seen anything so beautiful; something that would make his heart beat so fast. He ended up doing something completely shocking.

He held her chin, raised her head up so she was looking at him, and kissed her. Her emerald eyes widened at the sudden action but yet she didn't try to push him away. She just stood there as he kissed her. When he pulled back, she just stared at him, her face turning red.

"W-What was that about?!" she asked, "Y-You just kissed me! We just met!"

"I thought this would help you stop crying," he replied.

"B-But… we can't!" she pushed him away, but considering the difference in size, she was not successful.

"Why not?"

"It's just… it's not something two guys can do!"

"Two guys?" What was she talking about? But now that he thought about it, never had he seen a girl that flat chested unless at a young age. But this 'girl' appeared to be a young adult. Not only that, her voice, although high pitched, still sounded like a male voice.

The one in front of him was a boy.

And yet, it didn't really bother him. He didn't seem to care about the gender of the person in front of him, but how beautiful they were.

"Two guys can kiss," he explained, "It-!"

Before he said another word, his stomach began to growl. The girl… boy… noticed this. "I'm sorry!" he apologized, "You must be hungry! Wait here; I'll go get you something!" The boy ran off before anything else can be said between them, as if avoiding that topic of conversation.

He came back with some apples. It wasn't a high class meal, but it was better than nothing. He took a bite. The apples tasted better than any he had ever tasted before. These apples were juicier and the taste was sweeter. He savoured it in his mouth as the boy watched him.

"I'm sorry to ask this," said the boy, "But may I ask how you got your wounds when you fell?"

He stared at the boy. "I… had wounds? I fell?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah," he replied, "Were you in a fight with someone? And what about your clothes? You don't look like you are from Erden."

"I… was in a fight? Not… from Erden? I'm from… I…" He tried to think. "I… I can't remember…"

This was serious. "Can't you remember anything?" The boy covered his mouth. "I'm sorry if I'm pushing this."

"It's fine. Truth it… I can't remember anything. Not even my own name." He looked over at a silver creature with long ears and violet eyes looking at him. He stared at the creature in awe. "What type of creature is this?"

"It's a rabbit," said the boy, "Have you never seen a rabbit before?"

"A rabbit? It looks like me. Does that mean I'm a rabbit too?"

"You look nothing alike. You are human."

"Yes, but we have the same hair and eyes. Maybe, if I was a rabbit, this would be what I look like."

The boy sighed. "You are really weird, Usagi."

"Usagi?"

"If you're set on thinking you're related to that rabbit, you might as well have a name that fits. Besides, I have to call you something if you don't remember your real name."

Usagi smiled. "I guess so. I am Usagi for now. But what about you? Do you have a name? Or do you not remember as well?"

The boy blushed. "Of course I remember!" he snapped, "But… you'd probably laugh."

The silver haired man laughed. "Come on, it can't be as silly as Usagi."

There was only silence for a bit. The boy hugged his legs close to his chest while avoiding looking at Usagi. The older man couldn't help but keep his eyes on the boy. Never in his life had he ever seen anyone so beautiful. Then again, he didn't remember anyone else. Even so, he had a feeling he never anyone like this boy.

The boy looked over at Usagi. "My name… is Misaki."

Usagi's eyes sparkled at the name. "Misaki," he whispered, "Beautiful."

The boy, Misaki, blushed once again before looking away. "Sh-Shut up!"

It only received a chuckle from Usagi. It felt weird; like it was the first time he would actually laugh about something. His face fell right afterwards.

Misaki looked back at him. "Did I something wrong?"

Usagi shook his head. "No, it's not you," he replied, "It's just I've never smiled let alone laughed like this before. I can't remember… but I can tell that this is the first time."

"Have you really never smiled? At least you must have felt happy."

But the silver haired man continued to shake his head. "For some reason, I feel happier not remembering anything about my past. It's like it's something horrible in my life that I want to forget."

"I don't think not remembering your past is a good thing, no matter how depressing it was," he voiced his opinion, "We all go through a lot of tough times, but I think that it just builds who you truly are." He held his legs closer. "It's strange; I can't remember myself how long it's been since I've been able to talk to anyone like this."

Usagi stared at Misaki. "How come? You're really nice to talk to."

Misaki gave a slight blush before lowering his head. "I kinda… stand out among a crowd. I could try to fit in... but people become aware of me and although they will talk with me, it's not one of those comfortable talks. People get really nervous of me. They think I'm too naïve to notice but I can tell that they just worry about what will happen when they talk with me. Not even my friends will talk with me casually anymore."

The silver haired man wanted so badly to hug the boy. However, he was afraid if this would be the same as the last time. No, Misaki didn't mind it when he hugged him. It was only the kiss that got him all flustered. He leaned over to Misaki and held him in his arms. Misaki was frozen in the older man's arms.

"Just to let you know," Misaki began, "I'm not crying. So don't try to kiss me again."

Usagi chuckled. "I know you're not. Do you not like being kissed?"

"It's… We've just met. And we're both guys."

"Then will you let me kiss you when we know each other better? Two guys kissing isn't really unusual."

"How about… as soon as you get your memories back… I may consider it."

Usagi pulled back. "I just need to get my memories back?"

Misaki kept trying to avoid Usagi's gaze. "Well, we both don't know who you really are. How can I accept a k-kiss from someone I don't know well?"

The silver haired man smiled. "Alright," he replied, "Let's try to get my memories back!"

As Usagi stood up, Misaki looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "All it took was that to want your memories back?" He sighed. "You really are weird," He too stood up and began walking. "Maybe someone from my village may know. I'm sure some of them may know by your appearance. Let's go!"

"Wait!" Usagi called out before Misaki ran too far, "How far is your village?"

Misaki looked back at him. "It's a couple of hours away. So that I don't-!" Before he could continue, his face changed to fright. "Oh no! I completely forgot! I was supposed to be back home to my village yesterday! I was so busy taking care of you that I forgot that a day had passed since you fell from the sky. We have to hurry."

Usagi walked behind the boy. "Why the rush? It's not that big a deal that you were away from your village for a whole day, right?"

The boy's frightened expression turned a more nervous one. "Um… it's hard to explain. Come on! We really need to hurry."

And so, Usagi followed Misaki through a tunnel under the cliffs that led to the exit, covered with long vines filled with leaves hanging like curtains. He may have left the beautiful garden, but he left it with the angel alongside him.

**Pinkshuchan: And cue in the fangirl screams. Yes, Misaki is finally in the story, making everyone, including myself, cry for joy. Will 'Usagi' get his memories back? What will happen once he does? Read and Review everyone!**


	13. Demons and Soldiers

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! It's Pinkshuchan! Last chapter, we are introduced to Misaki and 'Usagi' had lost his memories. What will happen? Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

Demons and Soldiers

An entire day had passed and Hiroki and Miyagi hadn't found Akihiko. They were not sure where he could be. Even Suzuki was having trouble finding where his master was and he had the skills good enough to track him down. It was obvious that Akihiko was not dead, otherwise the bear demon would have disappeared. But then how come he couldn't be located?

During that entire time, Hiroki had been uneasy. Akihiko's almost death had scared him the most. But Miyagi, having known the cinnamon haired male for a long time, knew that that wasn't the only thing that was bothering him.

"You're that bothered with Akihiko not being found yet?" he asked, "Or is there more you care to explain to me?"

Hiroki sighed. He didn't really want to bring this up; he couldn't look weak now. But what could he do? It was obvious the older man could see Hiroki's distress. And if he lied about how he was really feeling, Miyagi would pick it up right away.

"It was what you said before the encounter with that Damonen Knight girl," he replied, "About how Akihiko could get any girl he wanted; that he could even win the heart of a princess. It disturbed me. What if that really is the case? What if Akihiko actually wins the heart of a princess and she wins his heart."

Miyagi just pat Hiroki's head, receiving a growl. "Don't worry about it. I doubt Akihiko will ever encounter a princess. If he does, then lucky for him. And you said so yourself which Akihiko himself agreed on; he's not interested in finding anyone just yet."

It was making Hiroki feel a little better, but he still couldn't get that worry out of his head. At least, not until they heard a sound. Putting their guard up, they slowly moved to the sounds. Considering that Suzuki went hiding somewhere, it was either a demon or something else that would be dangerous. When they were close enough, they made a jump before staring at what made the sounds.

Two young men, both very close to their 20's, stood there dressed in brown loincloths, shoulder guards and wrist guards made out of something hard and white, and headbands. One of them had a little good muscle on him, meaning he had to have worked hard on training, while the other was completely lean but sneaky looking. The more muscular one held out a mace and the lean one had out two short axes.

"Who are you?" the muscular one demanded, "You are not from Erden."

Hiroki was ready to put up a fight when Miyagi stopped him. "We are travellers who have come a long way to Erden," he replied calmly, "We are looking for a companion of ours. We were separated when we were attacked. Maybe you both have seen him?"

The muscular one lowered his weapon. "So you too are searching for someone."

"Too?" asked Hiroki.

"We are searching for someone very important to Erden. It is Erden's flower."

The cinnamon haired man crossed his arms. "Its flower? And here I thought you were looking for a person."

"Not an actual flower," the muscular one continued, "It is the nickname of our princess; a beauty that wins the hearts of any man. We were ordered by our king to find the 'flower', who has gone missing."

"Which is completely silly," the lean one spoke up, "I am sure the princess is safe. The king always overreacts when the princess just goes off somewhere. The princess may even be heading home right now. What a king we have!"

"Don't speak ill of our king, Sumi," the muscular one snapped at the lean one, "He is a remarkable king. Taking over the throne under the circumstances; he is a strong one."

The lean one, Sumi, sighed. "Just hope something like 'that' doesn't happen again, Todo. Erden will fall into darkness should anything happen."

Hiroki and Miyagi were not sure with what was going on. The muscular one, Todo, looked back at them. "I'm sorry about Sumi," he explained, "He just gets cranky whenever we search for the princess."

"So this is not the first time," said Miyagi.

"I'm afraid so. The king deeply loves the princess and tends to be a little 'overprotective'. Anytime the princess is away, the king orders all the soldiers on the search. Crazy, I know. However, even the people get antsy if the princess is not around."

"We'll help you find this 'princess'," Miyagi replied, "At the same time, we'll be looking for our companion. Unfortunately, we don't know our way around Erden. Do you mind if we accompany you in searching?"

Todo shook his head. "Not at all. It would be helpful, actually."

Hiroki couldn't believe it. Miyagi was good at persuading. But something didn't feel right. He looked over at Sumi. It seemed like he didn't really want to find this princess. But why? Even so, he followed them, hoping that along the way they find Akihiko.

Meanwhile, Usagi followed Misaki through the forest. It wasn't as beautiful as the hidden flower garden, but it was still remarkable. He couldn't wait to get his memories back, but only because that would mean he could get another kiss from Misaki. And he couldn't help it. Never in his life had he seen anyone as beautiful. He actually looked like a girl. It then reminded him.

"I have a question," he spoke up, "If you are male, why do you dress like that? Is it Erden custom to dress like that?"

"No, I'm the only exceptional male to dress like this," Misaki replied, "Not that I even want to dress like this. It was just something that happened because my parents wished for it."

"Your parents?"

"They wanted a girl but I came instead. It didn't change anything; they still cared about me and loved me, but because of the circumstances, I was made to dress like this. I don't enjoy dressing like this, but I've gotten used to it by now."

It didn't really make sense. "But if you really don't like dressing like this, why don't you tell your parents that? I'm sure they'd understand."

Misaki stopped walking and lowered his head. "My parents… died ten years ago."

Usagi froze. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. "I'm sorry… I didn't-!"

But Misaki only shook his head. "No, it's fine. What's done is done. It's impossible to change the past. I've learned to just accept it a long time ago."

The silver man didn't know what to say. He never thought that he would only bring something depressing up. He tried to think of a different subject. "That song you sang at the flower garden. It was really beautiful."

"Both the garden and the song were something my mother showed me when I was little."

Usagi groaned. He only made things worse, he knew it. He tried thinking of something else. "You like putting flowers into bouquets? What are they for?"

"They're usually for a lot of things," said Misaki, "In this case, it's for a celebration that is… Damn, now there's another reason why we need to hurry!" He began to run with Usagi following him. So much for making the conversation more comfortable. He only made Misaki more determined to get back. Even so, it would mean that it would be sooner for him to get his memories back and have that kiss.

But it wasn't to last long.

Before they could get any farther, a demon blocked their path. It looked like some kind of giant lizard thing. Usagi stood in front of Misaki to shield him from the monster. "I'll take care of this." He took from behind him his staff and began fighting the demon. Usagi knew that he just needed to use his special skills and…

What were his special skills? He had the basic fighting techniques, yes. But he needed to remember his special skills to defeat this demon. It was no use. The demon took the advantage and did some attacks on Usagi. The silver haired man was able to block the first one but got hit by the rest. He was knocked down to the ground. But he had to protect Misaki. He couldn't let that demon get him.

He was shocked when he saw Misaki standing on his guard, holding what looks like pink fans with white spikes on the edges.

The demon roared before charging at Misaki. But the chocolate haired boy began moving and attacking as if dancing. Although he was able to land some attacks on the demon, it wasn't enough to bring it down. There was only one thing left to do. Misaki raised one arm, still holding one of the fans and his hand glowed pink. Out of the blue, flowers flew in, surrounding the demon, and shined light onto it. The demon gave a cry before disappearing.

Once he was sure the demon was gone, Misaki ran to Usagi's aid. "Are you alright?" he asked before noticing a few wounds. He sighed. "What is with you and getting hurt?"

"Probably danger loves seeing that I get hurt," Usagi joked. Obviously Misaki didn't laugh at the joke.

"Sit still," he told the older man as he knelt down, "I'm going to heal your wound." He held out his hands so they were floating over where the wounds were and closed his eyes as his hands began glowing again. The only difference this time was that his hands glowed multiple colours and a pink light in the shape of a flower covered the wounds. When the light subsided, the wounds were gone. That must've been how Misaki was able to heal him when he fell from 'the sky' as he put it.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you," said Usagi, "Apparently, not only do I not remember my real name or my past, but I can't remember what abilities I have besides fighting physically with my hands or with my staff."

Misaki shook his head. "It's fine. It can't be helped. Hopefully you can remember things at the village. The sooner you get your memories back, the better it is for you," He stood up. "We should continue on. We're almost there."

Usagi nodded. It is hope that they meet someone that should know where he comes from. He too stood up and continued on to head to the village. As they walked, the silver haired man couldn't help but speak up. "I never thought that you could fight like that."

That statement didn't please the boy. "What do you mean by that?" he snapped back, "I know how to fight very well, thank you very much! However, even though I can fight physically, it appears that my strengths when fighting are by using my magic, whether it's the small amount of attack magic I have or if it's my healing magic."

The silver haired man couldn't help but smile. With every minute they are together, Misaki just keeps on surprising him. A boy far more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen with a lovely voice and can fight but is better off using magic. Were there to be anymore surprises?

Indeed there were.

Before they could move further, someone swung off a vine and grabbed Misaki. Usagi grabbed his staff and tried to follow them on foot but his path was blocked by men dressed similar with spears. They looked like tribal soldiers. They had to be soldiers of Erden.

They wouldn't give Usagi a chance to talk with them. The moment he tried saying something, one of the soldiers whacked him hard. They tied his wrists together in front of him so he couldn't fight back. They then pushed him forward. Where were they taking him? Were they going to take him to the village? What had happened to Misaki?

His first question was asked right away. Indeed, they were at a village with people having trees for houses as the bark was thick enough. They continued on until they reached what looked like a giant unusual shaped stone wall with holes that looked like windows and a giant hole that served as an entryway. Inside held many carvings of different things, whether it was foreign writing or pictures of something. Torches were lit against the walls to provide light.

They continued down the path until they reached a room filled with torches and a throne hiding in the shadows. A figure was sitting in the throne.

"Y-Your Majesty!" the soldiers broke out in fear in front of the figure, "Th-This is the man!"

"Good!" the figure replied in a cold tone, "Now leave us!" The soldiers did not hesitate. They bolted out right as the figure, which sounded like a king, told them too. Usagi was left alone with this king hiding in the shadows.

"Now," the king in the shadows continued, "Who are you? Why are you here in Erden? Do you want blood? Or have you come to take away Erden's precious 'flower'?"

"A flower?" asked Usagi. For some reason that sounded familiar, but the memory wouldn't come to mind. He quickly caught himself from trying to anger the king anymore and continued speaking. "I do not know who I am, Your Majesty. That is why I am here. I do not desire a vile thing as blood and I do not know what you mean by this 'flower'. I am here to recover the memories I had lost."

"How do I know you are not lying?"

"I do not know what my real name is, but I was given the name Usagi to serve as my name until the memories return. I was told I would possibly get my memories back here."

"And who was it that told you you could get your memories back here?"

"I believe he is a resident of this village. He goes by the name Misaki."

The king was frozen in his seat. "Misaki?" He stood up and began walking to Usagi. He was going to see the face of the scary.

But the king didn't look scary at all. Far from it. He looked like a kind king. The king smiled as he continued walked to Usagi. "I apologize for what happened," said the king, "I was just a little cautious." He released the silver haired man from the ropes that bound him. Usagi rubbed his wrists which were full of pain and kept looking at the king as he continued.

"Welcome to Erden, traveller! I am sorry to hear that you don't remember your memories. Allow me to introduce myself; I am King Takahiro of Erden. I myself along with the people of Erden will be willing to help you in any way possible."

Usagi bowed. "Pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."

King Takahiro laughed. "Please, no need to be so formal! You are a guest here. And you are in time for our annual celebration; the birth of our Mother Nature, Erden. You must join us. I will have someone provide you with the proper attire and teach you the dances ready for tonight. Don't worry; the dances are quite simple to learn. Even a child can get the hang of it easily."

"You are too kind, Your Majesty," Usagi replied. Indeed, too kind. The soldiers considered him frightening, and even Usagi himself could admit that while he was in the shadows he was. So why the change of heart? He had a feeling he was going to learn tonight what it was.

**Pinkshuchan: And now we have met King Takahiro. What will be happening now? What happened to Misaki? Will Hiroki and Miyagi find Akihiko? Read and Review!**


	14. Celebration

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hello, it's Pinkshuchan! For some reason, I keep updating this story faster compared to the other ones that I'm working on. Maybe it's because I have this story in the brain or if I just can't come up with anything else right now. Oh well! Makes you guys happy, right? Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Celebration

Night fell on Erden consuming it with a calm darkness, using only the moon and the stars for light on this land. But there was a small bit of Erden where the light of flames brightened the part up. This was the square where the people of the village were preparing for the celebration. Torches and flowers surrounded the entire square.

Usagi came out to see everything. Never did he think it would look this mesmerizing. He looked around the place when something caught his eye. Among the flowers that were decorated in clay vases, he saw familiar pink roses; the same pink roses Misaki collected. He wondered if he was alright.

He heard a familiar voice calling over to him and saw that it was King Takahiro, standing there with a smile and a beautiful woman beside him. Usagi walked over to him with a smile.

"You look great," the king replied, "As I expected, the clothes of Erden look exceptional on you," He gestured to the woman beside him. "This is my wife, Queen Manami."

Usagi bowed. "A pleasure."

Queen Manami giggled. "Please, you are a guest. You don't have to be so formal."

"I'm sorry," Usagi responded.

"But I agree with my husband that the clothes chosen for you for tonight really do suit you."

Usagi himself looked down at the outfit. It didn't look any different from anyone else's at the celebration. He was dressed in a dark violet cloth loincloth and a long necklace of silver beads around his neck. It was quite little to wear, but this was the traditional attire during this celebration. All the men were dressed like this, wearing dark coloured loincloths and some sort of neck accessory. Meanwhile, all the women dressed in bright coloured brassieres and long skirts with a long slit on the side for the legs. The clothes were possibly to be comfortable as well as to help with dancing.

It wasn't long until they all had to be sitting in a semi circle, watching beautiful dancers. Both male and female dancers were absolutely wonderful as they danced the traditional dance and people were clapping among the beat of the bongo drums that gave the dancers rhythm. Usagi had to admit that even he was having fun watching it all. But he didn't understand; if they were doing all the dancing, why did he have to learn a dance himself?

Once the dancers had finished their alignment of dances, Takahiro stood up in front of everyone with a great smile on his face.

"People of Erden," he called out, beginning his speech, "You remember why we celebrate this tradition. It is to thank out beautiful Mother Nature for giving us this beautiful home; a home which we must protect with all our hearts, so that our children and our children's children may bask in this beauty like we do today. Ten years ago was a hard time for many of us, especially by losing loved ones and I myself had lost my parents. But I did not let their death consume me. I kept going, vowing that I will protect Erden the same way they had.

"But among with thanks to Mother Nature, we also thank those who sacrificed everything so we could be here today. Their deaths are not in vain, for they fought to provide our happiness. They are smiling upon us right now, proud to see how we have all grown.

"This day is also the most wonderful day to ever come to me. At this time, once the dancers have finished, the princess, whether sibling or child of the current king, will sing the traditional song, followed by a dance with whoever the princess chooses. However, the princess can only perform this starting on the 18th year; otherwise it is the job of the queen to perform the song and a dance with the king. These last ten years after the previous king and queen had passed on, Manami and I had been performing the ritual. However, starting this day, the current princess, who has finally reached the 18th year, will be performing the song.

"I am proud to see this day come. It seemed like only yesterday when our princess was only just a tiny little bud. But now, has blossomed into a beautiful flower. Being our 'flower's' older brother and guardian to watch over for our parents, I've never been so happy. But look at me, rambling on," The people all laughed. "The moment has come. Our princess; our beautiful flower."

Takahiro took his seat. They all watched as the dancers brought in what looked like a giant pink flower bud with leaves under it and no stem. They carried it on some sort of mat. Once the flower was placed in a spot where everyone could see the front, the dancers all moved away. Usagi was not sure what was to happen.

The bud slowly started to open, revealing what was inside. A person sat there; their head lowered so it was impossible to see their face. A beautiful melody came out of the person's pink lips. Usagi felt like he was in a trance with the enchanting yet familiar voice.

The person stood up, revealing their whole attire. It looked like the traditional women's style but slightly different. They wore a pink brassiere with loops around the arms and a long pink skirt with a thigh length slit on one side and lighter pink coloured flowers around the waist. A bit of long chocolate hair was tied in a ponytail and a tiara made of the light pink flowers rested on their head. Usagi's eyes widened at the possibility. Could it be…?

Indeed, Erden's princess was no other than Misaki.

Usagi could not move his gaze away as Misaki sang the song. The chocolate haired boy was stunning as he stood there, singing the beautiful melody. He moved his arms gracefully with the song, resulting with bright glowing flowers of different colours to appear out of nowhere and fall just as graceful to the ground. However, they faded to nothingness before they touched the ground.

The song had finally reached its finale and Misaki finally looked at the audience. It didn't take long for his and Usagi's eyes to meet. Misaki stood there in surprise to see the silver haired man there. He stepped out of the flower and began walking towards him. Takahiro gave Usagi a pat on the back.

"Well, I guess that means you are the suitor for tonight," he laughed before gesturing Usagi to join Misaki.

Usagi was not sure what that meant but he ended up standing and meeting Misaki in the middle. They both stared at each other, silent at first, but the silver haired man ended up breaking it.

"I'm glad to see you're alright," he said point blank.

Misaki gave a slight nod. "You too," He looked at everyone before looking back at Usagi. "You were taught the dance, right?"

It was Usagi's turn to nod. "I believe so. I wasn't allowed to rest until I learned. I was told that it wasn't a definite that I would be dancing this or not, but I had to learn it in case. Guess they were right."

And so, they performed the dance. It started off as something slow but as the bongos went faster, so did the dance. It felt nice for Usagi to be holding Misaki in such a dance that felt almost romantic. After part of the way for the dance, everyone else began joining in, also part of the tradition. Once the dance was done, the celebration was declared over.

It was late at night and everyone was returning to their homes to sleep. Usagi was invited to stay in the cave castle until he regains his memories and decides to leave. Misaki volunteered to escort Usagi to his room. Takahiro, although a little reluctant to leave Misaki alone, agreed to it. At least if Misaki was still in the castle, it meant that no harm should come to him. If it did, the soldiers would hear right away.

While they were walking, Usagi decided to bring something up that was really important. "All this time, I never thought that you would be Erden's princess, especially since you're a guy," he began, "But considering your beauty, I can see why you would be a princess," But Misaki didn't say anything. Instead, he kept his head lowered. Usagi looked at him. "Misaki?"

"You now know what everyone else knows," said Misaki, sounding a little depressed, "It's because I'm princess of Erden that no one will talk with me like I'm one of them. It's because my big brother is the current king that some people are afraid to approach me."

Usagi put his arm around the chocolate haired boy's shoulders. "I'm talking to you right now, aren't I? I'm not showing any signs of hesitation, right?"

Misaki stared up at him. "You mean you don't care?"

"Of course not! You're still Misaki! Misaki is Misaki. You may be a princess but that doesn't change who you really are. You're no different from anyone else."

Usagi's heart raced as soon as he saw a small smile from Misaki's gorgeous pink rose petal like lips. "No one has ever said anything like that to me."

"Well, I'm not like everyone else. For some reason, I understand what it is you're going through. It's like my subconscious feelings may have something to do with this. But subconscious or not, my words are still true."

Misaki gave a small nod. They stopped at what was to be Usagi's temporary room. It was nice and comfortable; something suited for a guest in Erden. Usagi was about to enter and say goodnight when Misaki hesitantly moved closer to him until there was barely any room between them. The silver haired man was not sure what was going on.

"Y-You didn't want to regain your memories," Misaki started as he kept his head down, avoiding eye contact, "It was only after the possible promise of letting you k-kiss me if you get them back that you want them back. C-Consider this free as thanks for your words just now. Make it last because you're not getting another one until you get your memories back!"

Usagi smiled. He lifted Misaki's chin up and planted another kiss on those soft pink lips. As Misaki told him, he made the kiss last as long as possible. He loved the moans the chocolate haired boy made as the silver haired man's tongue pushed against lips and forced their way into the other mouth, performing a tango of lust. They were gentle and melodious. Misaki only stood there, eyes closed, letting Usagi lead him in this dance. His heart thumped loudly against his chest; his face becoming flushed with heat with everything going on.

Finally, Usagi ended the kiss, staring into shy emerald eyes. Misaki's entire face was red from everything. He told Usagi 'goodnight' before heading out of the room in a hurry, though not of hatred but of embarrassment. Usagi gave a low chuckle before going to sleep. He dreamed of the kiss he shared with Misaki and hoped that his memories would return soon so he could share another with the beautiful princess. However, a part of him started to worry. He had a feeling that getting his memories back would not be pleasurable at all, that getting his memories back may possibly change everything between him and Misaki. He hoped that it was all just a misunderstanding and not something that would actually happen.

**Pinkshuchan: Well, I hoped that you all enjoyed this chapter. What will happen if Usagi gets his memories back? Will he get another kiss from Misaki or will it result in something different? Read and Review!**


	15. Better or Worse

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey, Pinkshuchan here! Once again, I have another chapter of Prince of Damonen up at a quick time. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 15

Better or Worse

Golden sunlight shined on the green canopies of the trees, revealing morning. The people of Erden were preparing for something else, almost like another celebration. Usagi was confused. The moment he met up with Misaki, who like Usagi changed back into the clothes he wore when they first met, he asked him of the people's actions.

"The celebration is two parts," Misaki explained, "Last night was the first half, thanking Mother Nature for what we have and performing the story of her life. Today is the second half; embracing what she gave us and enjoying ourselves with a festival."

"I didn't know the celebration last night was the telling of a story," said Usagi.

"A lot of travellers don't. Mainly people from Erden know of the story. The first dance with the dancers showed the people that lived here before Mother Nature appeared and though it may not really look like it, they were showing how Erden was a wasteland at first. The bit with myself singing was when Mother Nature came to Erden and changed it into the paradise that it is today," Misaki began to blush. "T-Then the dance between you and I was when Mother Nature met her true love; Reisende. And then the rest is the happiness people felt afterwards."

Usagi froze at that name. "Reisende? Why does that sound familiar?"

Misaki looked over at him. "Maybe your memories of your mythology are returning? It wouldn't necessarily help too much though. My father told me that Reisende played an important part in many mythologies in different ways. In the case of Erden mythology, Reisende was a traveller who came to Erden and fell in love with Mother Nature. They lived happily together. However, due to the fact that Reisende couldn't stay in one place because of his sense of justice to protect Elementar, he had to leave Mother Nature time and time again. It didn't bother Mother Nature though. She would always wait for him."

The silver haired man chuckled. "Sounds like she was really dedicated to him." They began walking to where everyone else was to be involved with the next part of the celebration.

The scene was mesmerizing. Past all the trees led to giant waterfalls on tall rocks and a lake where people were swimming. There were still some trees here and there where people were swinging on vines and jumping in the lake from there. It was so much for Usagi to take. Misaki took him by the hand and led him farther on.

The entire time they were there, Usagi saw something that he had never seen before. The people with Erden, whether relative or acquaintance, treated each other like family. It was something he never known could happen, especially when he still lived in…

His eyes widened. He couldn't remember the exact place he lived in, but he was remembering things about his life. He left home for something. What it was he wasn't sure. He made sure to tell Misaki everything with what he remembered.

"I'm glad that you're remembering," the princess replied, "You don't remember everything though, right?"

"Not yet," the silver haired man replied, "But I can feel my memories returning piece by piece. I wouldn't be surprised if after a few days, I'll remember everything."

Misaki smiled. "That's good. But as you said… You've never had _any_ memories doing good things with your family?"

"I think my family and I never got along well in the past."

"Let me guess; it's something like 'Your mother was never around, you barely got to see your father considering his role in life, and you had some older brother who you never got along with and probably still don't today."

Usagi stared at Misaki. "That's exactly it! It's like you know who I really am."

Misaki fell back a little. "That was only a lucky guess! I didn't actually think that would be your life. I'm sorry."

The silver haired man only shook his head. "It's fine. To be honest, and pardon me for bringing this subject up, but I remember your older brother mention something about something happening ten years ago that caused everyone to lose their loved ones, including your parents. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened? Isn't Erden a peaceful continent?"

"It is, but…" Misaki looked down. "Ten years ago was something very scarring. I really don't-!"

Usagi shook his head. "It's fine. You can tell me when you're ready. Although, I think talking about it may make things a little easier, especially if needed."

Misaki looked up at him and gave a small smile. "I'll remember that."

Suddenly, they heard something. Usagi prepared to protect Misaki, although not sure if it would turn out the same as last time when it was _him_ that needed to be saved. But it wasn't anything like he expected.

Two men came towards them; their attire looked similar to the soldiers. One of them ran over to Misaki while the other just walked, not really caring. The one that ran to Misaki took the princess' hands into his own and sighed in relief.

"Princess Misaki!" he cried, "Thank goodness you are alright! Sumi and I spent the entire day looking for you. It wasn't until another soldier found us that we found out that you had returned safely. I was sure your brother would've killed us for not looking out for you better."

Misaki smiled at him. "Todo, it's okay," he replied, "I made it in time for the celebration last night. Too bad you guys missed it."

It was Todo's turn to smile. "Of course, your Highness. It was a shame to miss the performance of our princess on his 18th year."

"Yes, such a shame," said the other guy, Sumi. However, Usagi could hear a little sarcasm in his voice. Misaki nor Todo noticed it though. However, Misaki pulled back a little and introduced Usagi. After pointing what little he knew of him, just by the fact that he was some sort of traveller who forgot his memories, Todo was wide eyed.

"Princess Misaki," said Todo, "While we were searching for you, we encountered two men who said they were looking for a companion of theirs. Your new friend here could be that missing companion."

Misaki smiled and looked back at Usagi. "Did you hear that? If these men Todo was talking about really some companions of yours, you might just get your memories back today."

This was a possibility. The thought brought joy to Usagi. If he met with someone who knows him, his memories should return to him easily. He hoped they were people that really know him.

Todo smiled and looked down at Misaki. "Princess, we also came to tell you that your brother wishes to talk with you since he didn't get the chance to properly speak with you after the celebration last night since it was so late. Don't worry; I will escort your friend to his possible allies."

Misaki gave a nod. "Usagi, I'll meet you afterwards at the place we first met. You remember the way, right?"

It was Usagi's turn to nod. "I'll see you then." Without another word between them, Misaki left to see his brother. Once the princess had left, Todo escorted Usagi to the ones that were believed to know him. The entire thing was too exciting for Usagi and yet he was feeling a little nervous.

They finally reached the men that Todo was talking about. One of them was a calm man with raven hair and dark gray eyes, carrying lots of weapons on his back and belt. The other was a more aggressive and kind of demonic looking man with cinnamon hair and red eyes. Looking at them, Usagi could feel some familiarity with them. But he couldn't remember who they were. He felt like he could trust them though.

The men looked at Usagi and looked glad to see him. The calm looking man gave a smile while the aggressive looking one gave a glance before turning his head, almost as if he was holding back tears. Usagi walked over to them. Who knows; he could get his memories back just by talking to them.

"Hello," he greeted them, "You both know me?"

The aggressive looking man glared at him. "You idiot! What the hell kind of question is that? Why would you think otherwise?"

Usagi just grimaced. "I'm sorry, but I have lost my memories. I don't remember exactly who you both are but I feel like we have met before."

"Memory loss?" the calm man asked, crossing his arms in thought, "It's understandable. You did fall from quite high up. Obviously something else would've happened to you if not death," He looked at Todo. "I hope you don't mind but we are going to quickly borrow him." Todo shook his head and the three left so they could talk about Usagi's memories alone.

Usagi learned that his real name was Akihiko. He was prince of Damonen before he grew to hate that life and left to obtain freedom for himself. He even learned of the men that he was talking to; the calm man being Miyagi, a blacksmith and weapon master from Stahlern, and the aggressive one was Hiroki, the last survivor of Feuern due to experimentation. The information they gave helped Usagi, now recognizing himself as Akihiko, remember more information.

By that conversation alone, Akihiko had remembered everything. He was travelling through all the continents, searching for the five items needed before returning to Damonen and face his brother in order to have true freedom. From a visit with a woman named Aikawa, he also had to search for five allies of the different continents to join him. He already had Hiroki from Feuern and Miyagi from Stahlern. Erden, Ozean, and Kurbeln were left. He was filled with joy the moment everything returned to him.

"I remember," he cried, "It's good to remember everything again," He began smirking. "I guess that means I'll get that kiss from Misaki sooner than later. I need to go see him."

Before anyone could say anything, Akihiko began running to see Misaki. Miyagi sighed in relief and joy before looking at Hiroki, who appeared distressed. "Hiroki?"

"Isn't Misaki the name of their princess?" he asked.

Miyagi did remember that that was the name of the princess. He was going to ask about what the problem was with it until he realized what had just happened. The older man's words about Akihiko able to possibly win a princess, something that Hiroki was worrying about, may have come true. And considering Hiroki's own feelings for the silver haired man… "Hiroki, I…"

"It's probably just one sided on Akihiko's part," Hiroki replied, "After all, the princess, despite being a princess, is male, right? Most males would prefer a woman over a man, even with them being feminine, right? He probably promised Akihiko a kiss out of pity for losing his memories."

But the older man could tell that whether or not there was truly something going on between Akihiko and Princess Misaki, Hiroki was experiencing denial, the first sign of grief. Although the thought of Akihiko falling in love was wonderful, he couldn't help but worry about Hiroki, going through hurt and pain like he had just been rejected. Miyagi didn't know what to do.

Back with Akihiko, he went his way to reach the hidden flower garden, where he first met Misaki. He couldn't wait to tell the boy about his memories returning and to feel the princess' soft lips on his again. He finally managed to make it to the garden before sunset. As expected, Misaki was there waiting for him. The latter noticed him and gave him a melancholy smile before walking over to him.

"Misaki-!"

"Usagi-!"

Both realized that they had spoke at the same time. Akihiko chuckled while Misaki just blushed. "Go ahead," the silver haired man replied, "You go first."

Misaki shook his head. "No, I couldn't. You had something to say first."

"It can wait. I don't mind. I would love to hear what you have to say first."

"You looked quite anxious to say what you wanted to say."

"Well, so did you."

"Really Usagi, I don't mind-!"

"I insist!" Akihiko was serious. "Whatever you have to say is probably more important. Something involving your talk with your brother or with the soldiers that returned."

Misaki kept shaking his head. "No, it's not that," He began fidgeting with his fingers. "My brother didn't have much to say, just congratulations. It's just… I had been thinking about what you said; about hard times to be best talked about when you need it. Would it really help? Would you not feel bothered about it? I don't know… I want to get it off my chest but…"

Akihiko just smiled. Sure, he really wanted the kiss at this moment, but he was willing to delay it if it meant he could listen to what was troubling his beautiful Misaki. "If it would make you feel easy, I would love to listen. Spill everything your heart wants to say." The princess lowered his head for a bit before looking back up at him and nodding. They went and sat by the river before Misaki began explaining things.

"Well, you said that you wanted to hear about what happened ten years ago," he began, "It was a hard time for me; for everyone in Erden. An outsider would probably not understand the pain. It was unlike anything that had ever happened. It's a sad piece of history."

The silver haired man wrapped his arm around the boy. "If it's too hard, you don't have to say anymore."

"I want to tell you, Usagi! It's probably silly and naïve of me to think this when we only met almost about two days ago, but when I'm around you, it feels… I don't know. It's something I've never felt with many people. The closest I've had to this feeling of… I don't know, it's like comfort, was when my parents were still alive. Like I could just say anything. Ah, but I don't want to burden you with it!"

"I told you I don't mind," Akihiko repeated, "If you want to tell me, then tell me. Let me hear everything and let me comfort you."

Misaki gave a deep breath. "Erden had always been a peaceful continent. Never had we ever been in any fights with any of the other continents. If there were any wars, Erden would help out as the peace making continent and keep things calm. However, ten years ago was different. Erden was under attack. We barely survived. It was because of the people that fought for Erden that we are still here today. My parents were involved.

"What really hurt the most though is that considering my powers, I couldn't save them. If I was given the chance to reach them in time and heal them, maybe they would still be here. Hurts even more that… hic…" Tears began to fall from big emerald eyes. "My… My powers can heal but they… sob… cannot… sob… revive the… hic… dead… sob…"

Akihiko stared at Misaki with a pain in his chest. He pulled the younger into an embrace. Misaki didn't push him away. The moment Akihiko held him, the boy also held on to him as tight, not wanting to let go. This continued on for a bit before Misaki's tears let up.

"I'm sorry," he replied to the silver haired man as he pulled away, "I just… Why couldn't I have saved them by killing killed by the demons?"

Eyes widened as Akihiko heard what Misaki just said. "Demons?"

Misaki just gave a sniff. "Demons following orders from what I heard was a Damonen Knight attacked Erden and killed all our loved ones and almost destroyed Erden. Why did it have to be this way? What would've been gained from attacking us?"

Akihiko was silent. Damonen attacked Erden? For what purpose? Surely it had not done anything to cause all this bloodshed, could they? He would not believe so. With everything he had seen with his own eyes, Erden was a loving continent that treated everyone, even travellers, like they were family. So then why?

As he was deep into thought, Misaki stared up at him. "But I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get like that. I hope it didn't bother you."

"Not at all," Akihiko replied once he gulped down the lump that was in his throat from everything, "I'm just happy that you would tell me. I want to get rid of anything that may distress you."

Misaki gave a melancholy smile. "Thank you, Usagi. So…" He moved a little more comfortably. "You had something to say too?"

"Uh, yeah," Akihiko replied, not really feeling all that enthusiastic about it, "Well, what I wanted to say was-!"

"Ah, wait! You met those people Todo was talking about, right? Were they people you remember? Did they help you regain any memories?"

"Uh… well, they were familiar…" He was staring deep into the beautiful orbs that looked like emerald dew drops. Not long ago, they were filled with tears caused by the demons summoned that killed his parents. They were now looking at him with excitement, hoping to hear that Akihiko had regained his memories. But what would those eyes look like if he told Misaki that he too was from Damonen? Would they still look at him that way? Not receiving a kiss from it was the least of his problems; if Misaki found out he too was from Damonen, it was possible that the boy would not want anything to do with him.

Akihiko sighed. "Familiarity is not enough though," he continued, "I'm getting closer but…"

Misaki's eyes changed to concern. "You mean all that was for nothing?" he asked, "You still don't remember?"

"Don't worry," Akihiko assured him, "Once my memories come back for certain, I will let you know," He held Misaki close once again. "Is it alright if we stay like this for a bit?"

"Usagi?" Misaki spoke up, "What's wrong? You looked so happy and now you look like you're about to break. Was my story really so much of a-!"

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" Misaki pulled away so he could look at Akihiko straight in the eye. "Usagi, remember what I told you before? I'm not as naïve as people think. I can tell that something is bothering you. I told you what had bothered me, using your advice. Why won't you do the same thing?"

"Because there's nothing to talk about," He stood up. "I'm heading back to the castle."

He began walking away, leaving a concerned Misaki behind. When he disappeared from past the trees, the princess lowered his head. "Usagi, what the hell?" he muttered, "Can't you trust me?"

But Akihiko was going through more pain. He hated seeing the face Misaki made when he wouldn't tell him what was in his mind but he had no choice. He couldn't tell Misaki the truth. He didn't want to lose him. He sighed in frustration and hurt. He had thought that because Misaki said so, getting his memories back would make him feel better. But that was not so.

It only made things worse.

**Pinkshuchan: Aw! Really sad, huh? I'm bawling myself because of what happened. How long will Akihiko go on with hiding the truth to Misaki before finally coming out? How will Misaki respond once the truth is revealed to him? Read and Review!**


	16. Truths Within the Heart

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hey, it's Pinkshuchan! Here's another chapter of Prince of Damonen. Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

Truths Within the Heart

Not a lot had happened since Akihiko and Misaki had their talk. They would still have conversations with each other and enjoy each other's company. The only difference was that any time Misaki asks about what was wrong with Akihiko, which were rare as the princess wouldn't bring it up unless it appeared that the older man was concerned about it, the silver haired man would tell him it's nothing and keep quiet until a different topic was brought up. This, of course, worried Misaki, for he knew that Akihiko was suffering. As for the latter, he wanted nothing more than to tell him the truth; that he had regained his memories and tell him everything about his past. But he didn't want to risk losing Misaki. He wouldn't know what to do if the boy began to hate him.

So he kept quiet. He kept the charade of being 'Usagi', a young man who had lost his memories and is searching for them and spending a lot of time with the princess of Erden until he got them back. He never wanted his time with Misaki to end.

A couple days had happened since then. Akihiko would still spend his time with Misaki. Every now and then, he would talk with Hiroki and Miyagi, but Hiroki would only growl at him before turning his back to him. Akihiko would ask Miyagi what was wrong with the cinnamon haired man, but the weapon's master would not say anything. It wasn't long though until Hiroki did start talking with the silver haired man again.

"Akihiko, how much longer will you keep this up?" he asked, "I can sense it; the people are starting to get suspicious. They keep asking why you keep hanging around the princess so closely. They're thinking you are faking everything."

But Akihiko shook his head. "Hiroki, I think you're getting paranoid," he responded, "Everyone knows that Misaki found me and he's been helping me get my memories back. Surely they would think that I would only be close to him because of that?"

"And you lost your memory for how long? From what I heard, you had lost your memories four days ago. And apparently according to them, you still have absolutely no clue. Even when you mentioned you've been recollecting some things, it suddenly stops. And don't forget why we're even _here_ in Erden. You are here to obtain the requirements for your freedom. If you stay here too long, demons may find you."

"He's got a point," Miyagi replied, joining in the conversation, "Getting too comfortable here may not only put your life in danger, but everyone here as well. Aren't the demons known for ruthless to even those that aid a fugitive?"

Akihiko hadn't thought about that. Haruhiko said so himself back in Feuern and it was proved true because of Hiroki's clan. Although part of the reason was because the clan was to be used as an experiment to turn them into demons, if Akihiko had not been there… He didn't want the same thing to happen to Erden, especially to Misaki.

He couldn't think of much more when Todo appeared before them. "Excuse me traveller," he spoke up, "Usagi, is it? His Majesty wishes to speak with you."

"King Takahiro?" Akihiko was not sure what it was. He followed Todo to the cave castle and met up with Takahiro. It was obvious that his wife, Manami, was not there with him. Todo bowed before him.

"I have brought the man Usagi as you requested, Your Majesty," he explained.

Takahiro nodded before dismissing him. Todo gave another short bow before walking away. Akihiko looked up at the king in wonder. "Is there something that you need of me?"

"Yes," the king replied, "I have noticed within the past couple of days how close you and Misaki are despite the short time. Was it that easy for you both to be friends?"

"Misaki is very sweet. Very fitting for a princess. But our relationship may still be the same even if he wasn't of royalty."

"That so?" Takahiro began pacing around. "I apologize for bringing this up when you are a guest with no memories of your past. I've noticed that Misaki acts different when he is around you. I ask this because… well… although he'll try to interact with anyone, there's no one he appears comfortable with; anyone he'll actually talk to. You see, after what happened ten years ago, Misaki had made it his goal to help anyone and everyone with anything. Anyone who is injured, whether family, friend, or stranger, will be aided by him. But out of anyone, I've never seen him like he is around you."

Akihiko felt touched. And yet, he also felt guilty. Here he was, listening to Takahiro ramble about Misaki and how different he acted around Akihiko, but the silver haired man himself had been lying all this time. Would Misaki really think of him the same should the truth come out?

Before Takahiro could continue, Todo ran back in; his face showing distress. "Your Majesty!" he cried out, "Demons are spotted nearby! We made sure to evacuate everyone into their homes. But the princess… Princess Misaki is no where to be found."

Both Takahiro and Akihiko were alarmed. "Wasn't a soldier assigned to keep watch on him?" Takahiro yelled.

"Sumi was assigned to escort him to the waterfalls as the princess had his eyes on some flowers he wished to collect. Both have not returned."

Akihiko began to notice the king's gaze to be dark and frightening. It was like an aura was surrounding him. He wouldn't expect nothing less from a king that wanted to protect his little brother, the princess. "Todo! Go on ahead and find Misaki. I will round up the soldiers."

"Your Majesty," Akihiko cried out, "Let me go with him! It will make it easier to find him."

"Understood! Just find him before anything happens to him!"

They went their separate ways. Akihiko and Todo left the cave castle as fast as they could. Before they managed to leave the village, Hiroki and Miyagi caught Akihiko and asked out of concern what was going on. The silver man explained about how Misaki was in danger. They wasted no time. With Todo leading, they hurried to the waterfalls.

They got their in time to see Misaki attempting to defend himself against the demons and failing. Akihiko stared at the demons. These were Level 4 demons but their strength seemed to almost reach Level 5. The demons knocked Misaki down to the ground. Luckily, Misaki used his magic to avoid major injuries but still had a few scratches on him.

Akihiko and Todo ran to Misaki's aid with Hiroki and Miyagi walking behind them. "Princess, what had happened?" Todo asked in worry, "Where is Sumi?"

Misaki shook his head. "I don't know," he cried, "We heard something and he went to check it out. Before I knew it, demons began attacking. I don't know what happened to him. I hope he wasn't…"

The demons began acting restless. They were ready to attack. All four men stood up and began taking their own group of demons. Todo fought using his mace, Hiroki used the steel claws and his fire attacks, Miyagi kept switching between weapons, and Akihiko used his staff. It was no use though. The demons were too powerful. Hiroki, Miyagi, and Todo were knocked down to their knees and all the demons focused on Akihiko. He was almost a goner.

It wasn't until something completely unexpected happened.

As he fought, Akihiko's thoughts were focused on protecting Misaki no matter what. His determination kept on going even when it seemed like he couldn't win against them. He refused to give up if that meant he could protect his princess. This resulted with his subconscious to summon a Level 5 demon. The demon did not have a solid form but was shaped like a bear, similar to Suzuki and Saitou and managed to destroy the demons in one attack.

They were saved. Akihiko gave a huge sigh of relief as he almost stumbled off his feet. The Level 5 demon took a lot out of him. Even so, he was glad that he was able to protect Misaki.

Misaki! Akihiko looked over to see the chocolate haired princess standing there, emerald orbs wide. The silver haired man smiled and tried to walk over to him. However, as he tried to get close, Misaki only took a few steps back. Akihiko didn't know what was going on. He kept taking more steps but Misaki only kept going backwards. What was wrong?

"You…" Misaki began, almost in the brink of tears "You just… You just summoned a demon! Y-You're from Damonen!"

Akihiko began to understand what had happened. Pain struck his heart as if a knife stabbed through it. He never wanted Misaki to know that he was from Damonen. But now… "Misaki, I-!"

"You knew, didn't you?" the princess continued, tears starting to fall, "You lied when you said you didn't get your memories back! You had remembered this whole time!"

"Misaki, let me explain, I-!"

"No! Just… Just leave me alone!" Akihiko couldn't get another word in before Misaki ran out of there as fast as he could; Todo following behind in concern. Hiroki and Miyagi could only watch the pain so obviously seen on the silver haired man's face. They were not sure with how they could talk with him.

"So all this time, you were from Damonen."

The three men turned around to see Takahiro standing there with soldiers behind him. The soldiers looked ready to deal with Akihiko but were stopped by their king before they could take another step.

Instead, Takahiro demanded an explanation from Akihiko. The silver haired man had no right to refuse this. He explained his entire story to him; his true identity, about himself fighting for his freedom, and his purpose in Erden. Once everything was explained, Takahiro just nodded.

"I understand that you are going through a tough situation 'Prince Akihiko'," he began, "If I can do anything within my power to help, I can, especially since you saved my younger brother from the demons and I am grateful. However, it is best that you no longer stay in Erden. Your presence will only cause trouble. You are to stay away from anyone in Erden, especially Misaki. You have already hurt him enough just from being born from Damonen."

Akihiko wanted to object to this, but the look in Takahiro's eyes told him that it was dangerous to press the issue. His eyes appeared dark, similar to when he first met him. This showed how much he loved Misaki and how much he was willing to protect him. With no more words left to be spoken, the king and his soldiers left, leaving the three men standing there on their own.

The night was peaceful and yet felt sorrowful. Even as they sat near the bonfire, Akihiko stayed silent as the pain in his heart made it hard for him to speak. Even when the three of them got reunited with Suzuki, who kept himself hidden as to not cause alarm, the silver haired man didn't give so much as a tiny smile.

Hiroki sighed. "Well, maybe now you'll be willing to continue on. We need to find the item of this place. What was it again?"

"The flower that never dies," Akihiko replied in a disinterested voice.

"Maybe you can focus on that. It was the reason we came here to Erden in the first place, right?"

Akihiko shook his head. "I can't think of anything else right now. I hurt the one person I didn't want to hurt. He trusted me and I… I only deceived him. All because I wanted to stay by his side." He stood up and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Miyagi called out.

"I'm going to set things right," Akihiko replied, "I'm going to apologize to Misaki."

Hiroki, in alarm, ran after him and stopped him. "Akihiko, are you insane?" he yelled, "The king told you not to interact with him anymore! You're only going to get yourself into bigger trouble."

"As long as I can apologize to Misaki, I don't care how much trouble I get!"

"Why is it so important to you to apologize? Is it guilt? You don't want to look like a bad guy?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!"

Hiroki just stood there in shock; a pain striking him like it did for Akihiko. Making sure he wasn't going to be stopped again, he continued on. The cinnamon haired male slowly went back to the bonfire and sat down. He looked up at Suzuki. "Make sure Akihiko doesn't get himself into trouble again." The bear nodded before chasing after his master, leaving the half demon and the weapon's master alone to talk.

At the secret flower garden, Misaki sat there, trying to stop his tears. He slipped out after Todo chased after him back into the cave castle and relieved when he saw that Sumi was okay. He didn't want anyone to see him cry. He didn't want anyone to try to comfort him. He just wanted to be alone; alone, like he always had been, like he always will be. Nothing will change that. Only one person seemed like he understood him and he turned out to be a lie. How hard it was for him.

He stopped crying when he heard footsteps coming his way. He looked over to see a familiar figure he didn't want to see standing there. "I knew I'd find you here."

"You!" Misaki stood up as fast as possible and kept his guard as he glared at the silver haired man. "Why are you here? You shouldn't even be here!"

Akihiko just stared at the chocolate haired princess before speaking up. "I just want to say that I'm sorry that I deceived you. The truth is that my name is actually Akihiko. I am supposed to be a prince of Damonen but I abandoned my throne to obtain freedom. I am travelling so that dream can come true and-!"

"STOP!" Misaki's mood did not change. "Why the hell are you telling me this? It's not going to change anything! You are from Damonen and you lied to me about it! You had your memories back the whole time and never dared say anything to me! I thank you for trying to tell me now, 'Prince Akihiko', but now I want you to leave."

"Misaki-!"

"JUST GO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE!" Misaki began storming away over to a tree and leaned against it, letting out his tears once again. Akihiko stretched out a hand before letting out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright," he replied, "I'll go. You'll never have to see me again. But just let me say that I'm really sorry about what happened. It was wrong of me to deceive you. It was part of my own selfishness of wanting to stay close to you that made me keep my memories a secret from you. Doesn't make it right. And I'm sorry about your parents and how they were killed by demons. If I had been there, I would've done anything to save them," He sighed. "But what's done is done. And you're right; no matter what I say, it doesn't change anything. I'm sorry. Goodbye."

Akihiko began walking away. Misaki, noticing the footsteps walking farther away, began to turn around and watch with sorrowful eyes as the silver haired man walked away. He wanted to call him back but he couldn't find his voice. It was too late. Akihiko was leaving his life for good.

The silver haired man continued to walk away, walking slowly with the weight of his heart dragging him down. He kept walking, even when Suzuki appeared in front of him and tried to do tricks to try to cheer him up. The bear kept trying until Akihiko finally stopped with a sigh.

"This pain in my heart," he spoke up, "That shows how deeply I love someone, right? Even if they despise me?" He then continued to walk.

Suzuki knew that was the first time his master was like that. He really did love the princess. The bear refused to let this pain continue on. He was determined to get his master and his love interest back together. But how? He tried coming up with a plan as he went back to where the princess was.

And indeed, Misaki was sitting near the river, his hand moving around in the water. It was time the bear put his plan into action. He just hoped it worked instead of making things worse. He gave a squeak as he sat beside the princess. Misaki was startled when he first heard it but let down his guard when he saw the bear with wings. He stared at the bear in awe. Never had he seen a creature so adorable that looked like that.

"Hello," he spoke to the bear, "Where did you come from?"

Suzuki responded with gliding around the princess, receiving a giggle. The bear knew that he gotten the attention he needed. And so, he began flying away. Misaki stood up and began chasing after him.

With Akihiko, he was still walking until he heard something come his way. He turned around to see Suzuki fly past him and Misaki bump into him. He stood there confused as Misaki kept his hold on Akihiko before looking around for something. The silver haired man noticed that it was Suzuki, who was floating a little distance away, facing their sides, that had gotten the princess' attention. He chuckled.

"This is Suzuki," he spoke up as Misaki walked over to the bear, "Though I didn't think you would be interested in him."

The princess looked over at him. "Why would you say that?"

"I assumed you would be afraid of him."

"But he's adorable."

"He's a demon."

Misaki just stared at him in disbelief. "That's impossible," he exclaimed, "Demons are supposed to be big, scary creatures."

Akihiko chuckled. "I can assure you that just because something is big doesn't mean it has to be scary." He demonstrated this by summoning Saitou. Once Saitou appeared and Akihiko introduced him, like with Suzuki, Misaki stared at him with awe.

"They're both demons?" he asked, "They're not scary at all. But how do your demons look different from all the ones I've seen?"

"I remember learning something in my lessons when I still lived in Damonen about demons," the silver haired man replied, crossing his arms, "Although you can tell their strength by looking at them, they are all unique as they look different from any other Damonen born's demons. It is because demons, apparently, reflect on their master's heart."

"Their master's… heart?"

Akihiko nodded. "Most likely the owners of the demons that have been attacking are from a cold heart, but not everyone from Damonen is like that," He rubbed Saitou's head, getting approval from the bear when he got an idea. "Have you even wanted to see Erden in a different view? From the sky? We could take a ride on Saitou and see the entire continent from above."

Misaki stared at him. "Would it really be okay? I don't want to cause any trouble."

The silver haired man shook his head. "It will be fine. I promise." He lent out his hand for Misaki. The chocolate haired princess was hesitant on it before finally accepting the hand given to him. Akihiko then helped Misaki onto the bear before climbing on himself. "Better hold on tight. It's a rough start." The boy complied and held on to Akihiko's waist before Saitou began running for a head start before flapping his wings and flying. Suzuki gave an angry squeak for leaving him behind before going after them.

The sight from above was the most magnificent thing Misaki had ever seen. He could see how wide the continent was, stretching until it touched the edge of the night sky. The wind that brushed through his long chocolate locks felt warm and comforting as they flew. But the most comforting was the strong back in front of him. It was definitely the back of a man who had been fighting a lot, compared to the young princess well known for his healing magic.

Akihiko heard a soft dreamy sigh from the princess before the latter rested his head on the silver haired man's back, still watching the breathtaking sight below them. This action made him smile. Only Misaki could make him smile like this.

After flying everywhere through Erden, they returned to the flower garden. Akihiko helped Misaki off Saitou and unsummoned the bear. Suzuki went off his own way as he knew that the two would want their privacy. Both the prince of Damonen and the princess of Erden stared at each other as it seemed like if they tried to look away that the other would disappear. Akihiko sighed.

"Misaki," he spoke up, "I really am sorry about lying to you, I just-!"

"Please stop!" Misaki snapped at him, "Stop apologizing! It's not going to change anything. Especially since there's nothing to apologize for," Akihiko stared at him in confusion, causing the princess to continue. "Yes, I was angry that you lied to me about your memories. And yes, it really… upset me that the person I began to trust turned out to be from the same place as the one who killed my parents. But as much as I wanted to… I felt like I really couldn't get myself to hate you because of the things that you _did_ do that made me feel happy. A-And… after you showed me your demons and showed me Erden from a new perspective, I realized… that you are still the same person I met here in this garden."

Akihiko smiled. "Misaki," he chuckled, his eyes filled with sincerity, "You don't know… how happy I feel hearing you say that."

The princess blushed. "Y-Yeah. You… may actually be Prince Akihiko of Damonen… but to me… you are Usagi. And as Usagi…" He closed his eyes and just stood there, as if expecting there, causing the silver haired prince to stare in confusion.

And then he remembered. He got his memories back. That means…!

Akihiko pulled the beautiful princess close to him, fiddled with the long chocolate locks in his fingers, and leaned in for a warm, tender kiss. What took him by surprise though was that before Akihiko could let his tongue out, it was Misaki who slipped his tongue in. The silver haired man pulled back slightly out of surprise and looked into the boy's eyes. He was not sure if it was his own wishful thinking or not, but it felt as if those radiant, innocent, emerald orbs desired him. He could've sworn his heart skipped a beat and with his chest so close to Misaki's, it felt like the princess' heart was also beating rapidly.

The kiss continued. Akihiko and Misaki wrapped their arms around each other as their tongues ran their lustful dance. The younger of the two couldn't contain the moans that would escape as they kissed. Their legs felt weak with all the pleasure they were feeling and fell onto the soft grass.

"Misaki," Akihiko gasped as they pulled away, "I want to make you mine." He wouldn't wait for a response before placing a kiss on the princess' nape. While his lips were focused there, his hand found its way under the loincloth styled skirt and began fiddling with the very thing that proved that despite his feminine appearance that he was indeed male.

"Usagi!" Misaki moaned, "Where are you touching? Sto-AH!"

But the silver haired man wouldn't listen. He was determined to touch every place of the princess' body, whether it was by using his fingers or by using his mouth. Misaki continued saying 'no' and 'to stop', but eventually he gave into the pleasure the older man was giving him and the only sound to leave his lips were breathy, melodious moans that were truly music to his ears.

But then the main course came in. Akihiko, after he was sure that Misaki was ready after their 'playing', took off his violet pants and entered so their bodies were joined. The soft moans Misaki were giving out before got louder. Akihiko himself began to moan with the pleasure. He held the princess close to him, like he never wanted to let go. Misaki himself wrapped his arms around the silver haired man with the pleasure he was feeling.

It wasn't long before they both climaxed. Akihiko lifted himself up and looked at Misaki's face. "Are you alright?"

Misaki looked up at him and gave a slight nod. "Was this… what you meant by 'making me yours'?"

Akihiko also nodded before getting up and putting his pants back on. Misaki himself got up and sat there, staring at Akihiko. He was not sure why, but he felt strangely comfortable with him, no matter what they were doing. And although what they just did felt embarrassing to the princess, he couldn't help but find that it didn't feel unpleasant. What was wrong with him?

"Suzuki already went on ahead to let my allies know that I'm still alive," Akihiko continued, "They'll be wondering what would be taking me. You should also get going. You don't want to worry your brother."

"What are you going to do?" Misaki asked, "Are you really going to leave Erden?"

"Not just yet," the silver haired man replied, "There's still something I need to do here. Once that is done, I'm heading out to the rest of the continents with Damonen as the last stop before I finally obtain my freedom. I'll return to Erden once my freedom is assured."

"And what we just did?"

Akihiko pulled Misaki close to him. "It was my confession to you. I love you Misaki. Will you wait for me?"

Misaki's eyes widened. "You… love me?" He didn't know how to respond to that.

"Promise me Misaki," He held the princess closer. "Promise that you wait for me? No one but you has ever made me feel this way."

The princess just lowered his head. "I don't know how to promise something that far ahead. But I will try if that will make you happy."

Akihiko just smiled. "Thank you Misaki."

And so, they both left the flower garden and parted their separate ways after a bit of walking together. Akihiko headed back to the campsite where his allies were waiting for him and Misaki returned to the village so he wouldn't worry his brother. Little did they both know that someone had watched them part.

**Pinkshuchan: Honestly, during the whole flying scene, I pictured Akihiko and Misaki singing 'A Whole New World' while riding that. Hell, I was actually listening to it while writing that scene. And it's good to finally have a romantic scene like that between the Romantica couple after all that's happened, right? What's to happen now? Will this truly be the last time they will see each other in a while? Read and Review!**


	17. Hybrid Demon

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hiya, it's Pinkshuchan! Sorry for not updating in a while. Last chapter, Akihiko's secret was revealed and Misaki was furious at him, but after coming clean and showing him that he's still the same person, they share a night of love making. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

Hybrid Demon

Day had finally come onto Erden and Akihiko and the others continued on their way to search for the flower that never dies. It was a surprise to both Hiroki and Miyagi that the silver haired man was even more determined to succeed, but he never told them it was because of his promise to Misaki. He _had_ to succeed if he were to get his freedom _and_ be able to spend the rest of his life with his beautiful princess.

On and on they walked, searching for the flower. The only problem was that they didn't know what the flower looked like. Was it hidden away like with the flame that never goes out? Or was it deep in an obvious place like with the ore that never breaks? They would have to search the entire continent to be sure, even if it were to take days.

But that thought didn't take that long. As they continued walking, they were interrupted by a familiar voice. "You really are something. I honestly thought you would've died by that fall."

They turned around and stood their guard as Kaoruko appeared before them. She stood there with her arms crossed, the closed umbrella with the hidden katana still in her hand, looking slightly irritated. Then again, she did assume that she had killed him. To find out that her prey was still alive would be quite irritating.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to try this again," she exclaimed as she pulled the katana out. Another battle was going to happen between them until the most unexpected thing ended up happening before them.

The illusion of Haruhiko's head appeared before them. "I pardon the interruption of this battle," he spoke up, "As much as I would like to see Akihiko defeated here, there is something important I need you to do Kaoruko. It is something happening here in Erden."

Kaoruko placed her katana back into her umbrella before giving her full attention to the head. "What is it, Brother Haruhiko?"

"It appears that there is a hybrid demon here, planning to do harm to Erden. I want you to catch it and send it back to Damonen."

"Isn't something like that Shinoda's job? He's the master of learning about demons, even if I'm the one here in Erden?"

"Unfortunately, Shinoda's condition, although has gotten better, is not enough to handle heading here to Erden. He can only observe things here in Damonen."

The young woman sighed. "So I just need to catch this hybrid demon?"

Haruhiko's face fell and his head looked down at the ground. "Another thing is that the hybrid demon had taken someone from the main village. We don't know what it wants but we have a feeling it's not good."

"Who was it that was taken?"

Akihiko, who was listening to the conversation, grew pale with the name of the one kidnapped. The one that was taken… was Misaki.

"Where is he, Haruhiko?!" Akihiko yelled at his brother, "Where was Misaki taken?"

"This is of no concern to you, Akihiko," the older brother replied, "It would be best if you still want your freedom to leave now while you still can and focus on the things you need."

"This _is_ of my concern! Where is he?"

"What would be the point if I tell you?"

"I'm going to save him."

Haruhiko could not believe what he was hearing. "You are a complete fool, Akihiko. Saving Erden's princess from a hybrid demon; it's best left to a Damonen Knight."

But Akihiko still looked determined. "I defeated one of your Damonen Knights already, right? I believe I'm capable of handling that demon and saving him."

"A hybrid demon is not your average demon!"

"Brother Haruhiko!" Kaoruko spoke up, "I don't think Brother Akihiko really cares at this point. How about he comes with me to save the princess and to handle the hybrid demon? It will make it easier on me to have someone accompany me rather than to go alone."

Haruhiko focused on the young woman. "Akihiko is a wanted man. You will allow that to accompany you, a Damonen Knight?"

"Consider this my challenge to him. If he manages to defeat the hybrid demon, then he's defeated me as a knight. I would like to avoid having to fight as much as possible if it were up to me. And if he doesn't defeat the demon, the condition to have him killed basically taken care of."

The king listened to this and was beginning to understand. "Alright fine!" he replied, "Consider this your test against Kaoruko. Whether you succeed or fail, either way the hybrid demon will be taken care of and the princess will be rescued. Although I don't know the specific location, my guess is the darkest part of Erden. You better hurry."

With no other word to say, the head disappeared, and our heroes, led by Kaoruko, were heading to the spot Haruhiko was talking about. As they went on their way, Miyagi spoke up.

"I am quite curious about something," he began, "What is a hybrid demon? How different is it from the other demons?"

Kaoruko looked at him before sighing and replying. "A hybrid demon is something that was discovered 30 years ago. I don't know much of the details myself, but hybrid demons were an inspiration of experiments on making an artificial hybrid demon to serve us at will."

"Wait a minute!" It was Hiroki's turn to speak up, "Does that mean the experimentation on me and my village also a part of-!?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, "Shinoda was given the charge of trying to create an artificial hybrid demon by the king before Brother Haruhiko, my uncle Great Emperor Fuyuhiko. Uncle Fuyuhiko himself is also searching for that. It is believed that hybrid demons are far more powerful than normal demons as it combines a human's strength to that of a Level 5 demon. That's why we want to create our own hybrid demon. It has not been successful yet though. The closest we have gotten to creating a hybrid demon is by you, becoming a half demon."

"Why did you use my village though? Weren't there willing test subjects back in Damonen?"

"We have already used the people from all the dying villages in Damonen. Plus, the leader of your village, knowing that the village would die sooner or later, gave us permission to use the people."

"Why would he do that?"

"I am not sure myself. Whether he did or not, we were only close to success with you. No one else passed the tests to become a hybrid demon. They would turn into normal demons but only survive for a couple days before the demon blood melts their body like acid."

"How are you close to success with Hiroki?" Miyagi spoke up again, "He had become a half demon while the others had only become normal. Has he reached the qualification to become a hybrid demon?"

"Not really," Kaoruko continued, "A regular hybrid demon willingly accepts the demon blood into their body as a way to escape their way to death. Plus, he can switch between human and demon form at any time. From what we learned with your friend, he fought the demon blood and managed to gain control of it," She looked at Hiroki. "From the looks of things, although you accept that you are a half demon now, you still try to fight it. Also, you only look slightly human with some demonic features but that's only because of that water in the gourd on your back. Without it, you would look like a demon with some human features and personality."

That was enough to be said. While the three were conversing while on their way, Akihiko was too focused to reach the darkest part of Erden. He did not want to waste any time on saving Misaki. Any distractions may cause something terrible to happen to the princess. He just hoped he'd be able to reach him in time before anything else happens.

In the darkest part of Erden, there was a lair underground. Many reptile like demons roamed around the place while some could not keep their eyes on the beautiful human laying on a long stone table in deep slumber. How they would like to see that human in torture and hear those beautiful screams. However, they were ordered by their leader not to do anything to this human, for an ultimate plan was in motion.

They hid the moment their leader came. A reptile demon with more human features than demon. He walked over to the human on the table and gazed down that radiant face. With his green, clawed hand, he caressed the human's cheek.

"Princess Misaki of Erden," the leader spoke up, "So beautiful, so delicate, so loved by all. How much I despise that! It is only when you get captured like this does our king actually appear threatening. It seems that the only role you have for Erden is to look pretty and let yourself get captured for anyone to actually do something. But don't worry; you'll get to see your brother and your precious continent fight for you. They will fight Damonen to try to get you back, only to realize too late that it had no part in your kidnapping.

"Oh dear princess! The continent that had taken away all our loved ones, including your parents, will finally be taken down. The souls of the people that risked their lives from the demons will finally be avenged. That also means that traitor, the one you had called 'Usagi' before his identity as Prince Akihiko was revealed, will go down along with everyone else in Damonen!"

Misaki's facial expression flinched at the mention of Akihiko but his eyes remained closed. His body was trapped in slumber but his mind was wide awake and alert. He could hear everything being said to him, right down to the laughter. He was frightened for Akihiko. All he remembered was trying to get home after that experience with him when demons surrounded him and trapped him. He tried to fight them when a sweet smelling stench clouded his senses and left him unconscious. When he came to, his mind had wakened, but he could not wake his body. He was not sure who this person was or why he wanted Erden to take over Damonen. Even so, he couldn't help but worry that his loved ones would end up getting hurt, whether it is his brother or Akihiko.

Meanwhile, Akihiko and the other were getting closer to reaching the darkest part of Erden. As they were about to end, the silver haired man stopped them. If it was truly safe, he wouldn't have done so. However Suzuki, who had been following closely to help in searching for Misaki, went to hide somewhere not that long ago. Someone was close.

Something jumped out at them. All of them, being experienced fighters, were able to dodge the attack. The attack was something more human like then that of a demon. Had they encountered the hybrid demon? No, it was something else.

Standing before them was Todo.

"Todo!" Akihiko spoke up, "Why are you here?"

The younger man didn't answer at first. He only raised his mace upwards and pointed it at the silver haired man. "You!" he growled, "It was you! You are the one who has taken our princess!"

Akihiko was confused. Why did he think he was the one who took Misaki? "Listen! I am not the one who took Misaki. The true culprit is supposed to be inside this part of Erden. If you will just calm down and follow us in, we can try to find him."

"And how do I know that you are not leading me into a trap? Besides, whether you are telling the truth or not, I was ordered by His Majesty King Takahiro to eliminate any Damonen blood in Erden."

"Aren't you being a little too rash? The one that has taken him is what's called a hybrid demon. The Damonen Knights are going to deal with this creature and I'm here to save Misaki."

"Lies! I've never heard of a 'hybrid' demon until now."

"It's to be expected," Kaoruko spoke up, "The hybrid demons were only known by those in Damonen. That is because that was the only place they would appear until now. We will not fight you, Soldier; even if it is the order of your king. We are busy with dealing with the hybrid demon before it causes anymore harm to the people of Erden. Besides, you would be in an unfair disadvantage against all four of us."

She had spoke too soon, for many more soldiers appeared. Akihiko and the others brought out their weapons in the defensive. They were completely surrounded. The soldiers began to attack. The four kept themselves in the defensive but didn't try to switch to offensive. Although they were being attacked, these were still soldiers of Erden. The battle went nowhere.

"I should've known than to trust you."

They looked to see King Takahiro himself standing there. "Prince Akihiko, you and the rest of Damonen will not be forgiven for taking my brother."

Akihiko looked at the king with honesty. "Please believe me, Your Majesty," he pleaded, "I wouldn't dare take Misaki against his will."

"A likely story," Takahiro replied with his arms crossed, "I may have believed you if I didn't see you take him with my own eyes. You grabbed Misaki and took him this direction. Now where is he?"

The silver haired man and the others couldn't believe what they were hearing. Someone who looked like Akihiko took Misaki? How was that possible? Could the hybrid demon shapeshift into whatever form it wanted? If so, why Akihiko? And if it wasn't the hybrid demon, then who?

Kaoruko stepped forward so she was in front of Akihiko, Hiroki, and Miyagi. "I am sorry, Your Majesty," she replied, "I have no intention of you or your soldiers to prevent us from our mission." She jumped into the air and threw stuff at all the soldiers and Takahiro. All of them began looking confused and panicked.

"What's going on?" one soldier yelled.

"I can't see anything!" another cried.

Kaoruko landed back onto the ground and looked back at the others. "Let's get going. We need to find the hybrid demon."

She began running with the men following after her. Akihiko caught up to her. "Was that the same thing you used on me?" he asked, "That thing that blinded me?"

"Yes," she nodded, "That is my special ability. Don't worry; it doesn't harm them. It only temporarily blinds them. By the time they recover their sight, we should find the hybrid demon and the princess."

Akihiko gave a nod. Misaki and the hybrid demon had to be in that forest somewhere. They ran through the forest until they were deep enough so they wouldn't be easily found by the soldiers and where the hybrid demon would most likely hide its prey. Once there, they tried to think on what they to do to try to find them. Akihiko got an idea. He summoned Suzuki.

Suzuki appeared before them and agreed to find Misaki and the hybrid demon. He used his senses to try to find Misaki's presence. He flew around the entire forest with his master and his companions trailing behind.

After a while of moving around, the flying bear stopped. He looked at his master and pointed down to the ground. "So Misaki is underground?" Akihiko asked. Suzuki nodded.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Kaoruko replied. She raised her arm and a lavender glow consumed her hand. When the light disappeared, a small, cute dog like demon with white, fluffy fur and long claws appeared. "Inu, you know what to do," she told the demon. It replied with a nod and began digging a hole big enough for them to crawl through. They followed the dog demon through the hole until there was no dirt left to dig through.

Under the ground was a tunnel filled with slime. Judging by the appearance, they assumed this had to be the hybrid demon's nest. Suzuki flew around for a bit before heading in a certain direction. Akihiko and the others followed him until they reached the core of the nest, which appeared to be some sort of lair. The silver haired man reacted when he saw in the middle of the room on a table was a sleeping Misaki.

Akihiko ran to Misaki's side. He tried to wake the princess up but his eyes remained shut. He tried and tried, but nothing he did would do anything. He wasn't sure what to do. Hiroki suggested placing a flame beside Misaki so the warmth shocked him into waking up, but Akihiko was against anything that would hurt his beautiful princess. Miyagi suggested giving Misaki a kiss on the lips, only to get a smack from Hiroki saying that that type of thing was too idiotic to work. But Akihiko tried it anyways as it gave him an excuse to kiss him. It didn't work. There were no other options to do. Was Misaki forever trapped in a sleep like state?

As Akihiko ran his eyes on his love, he noticed something unusual. Although it appeared that Misaki was completely asleep, his right index finger appeared to be tapping with slight trouble in a way that looked like he was trying to communicate to them.

"Misaki?" Akihiko spoke up, "If you can hear me, tap your finger five times."

He watched the index finger. It tapped once. Two times. Three times. Four times. Five times. It then stopped. Misaki's mind appeared to be wide awake. Akihiko leaned closer to him.

"I'm glad you're okay," he continued, "What happened? How did you get here?"

There was only silence. It appeared the only way Misaki could communicate was by tapping his finger. He tried opening his mouth to speak but he couldn't. Akihiko figured he can only ask so much using this method. "Misaki, did you see anyone as you were taken? Tap once for yes and twice for no."

Misaki tapped his finger once. _Yes._

"Was it demons?"

_Yes._

"Was there more than one?"

_Yes._

"Did any of them look unusual from the others?"

He tapped three times.

"Am I to assume that means you don't know?"

_Yes._

"It's to be expected," Kaoruko replied, "Unless you are from Damonen or have had a huge experience with demons, you can't tell a regular demon with a hybrid demon, especially since hybrid demons aren't too common."

"Even so, it's most likely the hybrid demon _did_ take Misaki, right?" Akihiko asked.

"It is possible. What I don't understand though is why there are multiple demons involved. Unless the hybrid demon's human form originally came from Damonen, it shouldn't have the ability to summon demons. However, we believe that if the hybrid demon is here in Erden, its human form must've come from Erden. Only Damonen Knights are allowed to leave Damonen and all five of us have not been turned into hybrid demons."

"So it is the hybrid demon that has put Misaki in this slumber like state?"

Kaoruko crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought. "Here's the funny thing. Judging by the symptoms, the princess is in a sleep like state that can only be caused by the Slifer."

"The Slifer?" Miyagi spoke up, "I've never heard of anything by that name. A demon?"

"Level 5," the young woman continued, "It is a powerful demon unable for human control; on of the most powerful in existance. Because of that, it is forbidden to summon one. The Slifer has a sweet smelling aroma that if you absorb it places your body in a deep slumber while your mind remains perfectly conscious. Despite his sleep state, the princess is aware of everything we say and do. The effect is permanent."

Akihiko refused to hear that. "That's impossible! Surely there must be some way we can get Misaki back to normal!"

"There is," Kaoruko replied, though her expression was more worried, "It is very difficult to do however. You must eliminate the Slifer."

"That's it?" Akihiko asked, "Sounds easy enough!"

"Hold on, Akihiko!" Miyagi spoke up, "There's a catch, isn't there?"

Kaoruko nodded. "The Slifer is immune to any attack. The closest we can get to damaging it is by cutting it, but even then it doesn't work as it only regenerates. It doesn't seem to have a weakness. Even if it did, it would be impossible to figure it out. Only one man was believed to have killed a Slifer in order to save his wife from the same fate the princess is currently suffering. The problem is we don't know how he did it."

"Better to try and fail than not attempting at all," the silver haired man replied, "No matter what it takes, I will do anything it takes to have Misaki open his eyes again, even if I have to give up my life to do so."

He noticed Misaki's body tense up to the former's words. He knelt down and cupped the princess' cheek with his hand. "Don't worry, Misaki. I promise you. I will be there once you're awake again," He placed a kiss on those soft pink lips. As he pulled away, he noticed something. He looked at everyone. "Misaki would be here alone. What if the hybrid demon appears? He may take Misaki somewhere where we'll never find him."

Miyagi placed his hand on Akihiko's shoulder. "I'll stay here and protect him," he replied, "You go with Hiroki and Kaoruko to find the Slifer. It's up to you to restore Misaki to normal."

Akihiko nodded. He gestured for everyone else to follow him. Kaoruko trailed behind without hesitation but Hiroki took a few steps before looking back at Miyagi and the sleeping Misaki. The oldest man just gestured for the cinnamon haired man to continue on. Hiroki then began following the others to find the Slifer. He didn't know how to feel at the moment. He looked into Akihiko's violet eyes. They were no doubt eyes that were determined to save the princess. He couldn't help but feel anger and pain in his heart. Akihiko truly was in love with Misaki; there was no denying that. But to think that Akihiko would go fight one of the most powerful demons in existence and give up everything just for him. He couldn't help but worry. What was to become of his friend?

**Pinkshuchan: What will happen once they find the Slifer? Will they defeat it? Read and Review!**


	18. Battling the Slifer

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! It's Pinkshuchan! Don't really have anything to say so here's the next chapter of Prince of Damonen. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

Battling the Slifer

"Do you sense anything Suzuki?" Akihiko asked his small bear demon.

A bit of time had passed since Akihiko, Hiroki, and Kaoruko left Misaki in Miyagi's care to find the Slifer to reawaken him. With help of Suzuki, they tried looking for the location where the Slifer would be at. However, much to their dismay, there was no luck. Suzuki couldn't seem to sense it. Either the Slifer was not here or it was good at hiding. Either way, they weren't getting anywhere like this. Even so, Akihiko refused to give up.

Suzuki looked back at his master at the question and shook his head. Akihiko sighed. "Let's keep looking then."

"And how do we do that when we don't even know what the Slifer looks like?" Hiroki asked a little tensely, "Unless our Damonen Knight here can tell us."

Kaoruko shook her head slowly. "Unfortunately the only people who have seen what the Slifer looks like were killed from it and it's too dangerous to try summoning one to find out. A Slifer can't be contained. Its very teeth can break metal in half. We only know it's immune to a lot of attacks because of something that we learned through a researcher who was determined to learn about it. He's dead now, of course."

"Then what's the point of continuing?" Hiroki sat down on the nearest rock, "Unlike you, I'm not willing to risk my life against an unknown enemy just to save one princess. And hey, it's not he's in complete danger; he's only asleep. It's not like sleeping is dangerous."

Akihiko walked over at Hiroki and stared at him. "Misaki may not seem like he's in danger, but I can tell that he's afraid; he's afraid of never waking up, to never see the faces of the people he loves, to not be able to run through fields of flowers again, to not be able to move and only see darkness for the rest of his life. How can I brush it off because he's 'not in complete danger'?"

Hiroki growled as he glared at the silver haired man. "How do you know that's how he's thinking? You've only known him for five days. It's not like you've been together for a month or a year."

"Maybe I haven't known him for very long but I can tell just by learning about his personality."

"You might not know everything!"

"I know him well enough to know that he is the person I want to be with. You know, as my friend, I thought you would be happy that I found the person I would consider 'the one' for me, and yet all you do is give me a hard time about it. Yeah, I'm fighting a tough enemy, but at least I know to fight for someone that I love."

That was it. The cinnamon haired man stood up; his eyes glowing in complete rage and his hands consumed by flames. "You know what? If you're that determined to save him, then fine! Get yourself killed by an invincible enemy! Try to save that pretty little princess! I don't fucking care! Just don't come crying to me when you die and never get that freedom you always wanted because of this!"

Before Akihiko could say another word, Hiroki stormed off. The silver haired man didn't expect this to happen. He didn't expect to see Hiroki storming off out of his life. He didn't know what to do if his friend was not there beside him. Suzuki flew over to him, trying to comfort him. Instead, Akihiko tried pulling off a brave face and decided to keep moving with the bear and Kaoruko with him. He took the first couple of steps before he couldn't move any further. His heart felt heavy. He couldn't leave Hiroki alone. Receiving a reluctant nod from Kaoruko, they went to follow Hiroki, hoping to get him back.

Meanwhile, Hiroki was still walking off in anger. He just didn't understand what Akihiko saw in Princess Misaki. Sure, the princess was beautiful and kind, but what other good qualities did he have? Hiroki figured he would be a better match for Akihiko than the princess. Hiroki was stronger and smarter than the princess as well as more experienced with battle. So why couldn't it be him? He roared in frustration as he threw a fireball against the wall. The flames disappeared the moment they and the wall had impact.

He fell to the ground. He could be angry as much as he wanted but it wouldn't change a thing. Akihiko desired Princess Misaki. There was nothing he could do to change that; even if the princess were to object to the declaration of love. Warm tears rolled down his cheeks. His emotions always got the better of him.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the direction he was heading. It sounded like it was coming this way. Wasting no time, he found a bunch of tall rocks and hid behind them. What could be causing that noise? Akihiko? No, it was too loud to be made by him.

And then he saw it.

A giant green cobra with spikes all over the top half of its body and a spear head at the end of its tail was slithering through the cave. Hiroki stared at this beast in wonder. Never had he seen anything like it. He could tell it wasn't any ordinary cobra, so it had to be a demon. His eyes widened. Could this be-?!

"Hiroki! Where are you?"

That voice! It was Akihiko. The giant cobra picked up on it and began slithering in the direction where the silver haired man was supposed to be. Hiroki's facial expression changed to horror. Akihiko was going to get killed by that thing. He was about to follow after when he remembered what he said before storming. He told Akihiko that he wouldn't care if the latter got himself killed. So why should he change his mind now? However, wasn't Akihiko calling out to him just now? How come? Why would he look for him when he was determined to defeat the Slifer?

Back with Akihiko and Kaoruko, they tried looking for Hiroki when they heard something coming their way. At first, they thought it may have been Hiroki. But that sound couldn't be made by him; it sounded nothing like him at all. Not to mention Suzuki had already gone into hiding. They held their guard and braced themselves for what was coming their way.

There before them was the giant cobra. It exposed the inside of its mouth, with a jaw similar to that of a wolf. A demon? Could this be-?

"I believe that may be the Slifer," Kaoruko spoke up.

Akihiko stood there, holding his staff in an offensive position. If this was the Slifer, either way, he knew he had to defeat it. He charged at it and gave a strong blow. The cobra managed to dodge the attack by moving its body to the side and tried counter attacking with snapping at the silver haired man. The latter also dodged. With every counter attack each made, it seemed that the other would only dodge. Kaoruko went to find a place to hide. If this demon really was the Slifer, then she knew that it would be foolish to try to fight it, especially with it rumoured to be practically invincible.

Finally, Akihiko managed to trick the cobra by pretending to attack but not actually attacking until the cobra tries its counter attack. When the cobra leaned forward to attack, Akihiko dodged enough to hold the staff over his neck and make a blow on the neck. However, it didn't seem to do anything. The cobra didn't even flinch. Akihiko took another chance with using his lightning bolts. Not even that worked.

The cobra glared at him before trying another attack. Akihiko managed to dodge the head, but he was knocked down by the tail and flown into a wall. He slid down the wall in pain. Attacking it with his staff wasn't going to do any good. He had to think of another way to take it down.

He then noticed Kaoruko. Judging by the look on her face, it seemed like she wasn't going to be very useful with this battle. But there was one thing that was useful.

"Kaoruko! I need your katana!" he called out.

The young woman stared at him in shock. "Are you out of your mind? It didn't feel anything from your staff. It is most likely that this monster _is_ the Slifer. My katana isn't going to do anything."

"Maybe or maybe not. I have to try. I'm not going to let Misaki down."

Kaoruko only sighed before passing her katana to the silver haired man. "You really are being a fool, Akihiko."

Akihiko held the katana carefully and looked back. "You shouldn't have followed if you thought this was too dangerous."

"Does it look like I don't know that?" he snapped, "I'm here as Brother Haruhiko's eyes. I am to see whether or not you see this whole thing through. He would be glad to see you defeated by a Slifer though."

The sliver haired man didn't listen. With the katana in hand, he charged at the giant cobra again. The cobra went for the strike first but Akihiko dodged it and did a sideway slash at its neck. The blade went through the nape and across until the head was completely cut off from its body.

Akihiko smirked. He defeated the monster. If this was really the Slifer, this meant that Misaki might be okay again. He looked over at Kaoruko, who stared in shock. She didn't understand what had happened.

"This couldn't happen," she spoke up, "Surely it would've taken a lot more than cutting off its head to defeat it. After all, if this was all that had to be done to defeat it, many would've succeeded."

"Well, maybe they weren't as strong as you thought they were," Akihiko replied, "Come on! We need to get back to Miyagi and Misaki."

As they started walking away, the silver haired man noticed something odd. The Slifer was defeated so why was he starting to get this weird urge that this was far from over? Not only that, Suzuki hadn't popped out from out of his hiding place. He heard something behind him, causing him and Kaoruko to look behind them.

The cobra's body was returning to life. It moved back and forth like it was dancing. Not only that, but something appeared to be forming from where the head used to be. It bubbled and grew larger. Both Akihiko and Kaoruko stared in awe and fear of the sight before them.

Where Akihiko had cut off its head was replaced with three heads.

"I told you it wasn't going to be easy to defeat!" Kaoruko told Akihiko.

The silver haired man gulped. "Can't you do anything to stop it?"

The young woman glared at him. "And just what do you want me to do? The best I can do is temporarily blind it and I doubt that's going to make the situation any better!"

They were in trouble. Blows using his staff and lightning bolts had no effect on it and slicing off its head only brought it back with more heads. Akihiko tried his best to find someway to defeat it but it was no use. The Slifer would not fall. It was truly invincible. As Akihiko kept trying to hold his guard, hoping to find some sort of weakness from it, the Slifer managed to knock the staff out of Akihiko's hands and smacked him into the wall again. After sliding back down to the ground and falling to his knees, the giant cobra was ready to strike with its fangs. This was surely the end.

Or was it?

All three heads were sliced off of its body and a familiar figure pounced so he stood in front of Akihiko. The latter was glad to see who it was while at the same time worrying.

"Hiroki, what are you doing here?" the silver haired man shouted, "The Slifer will kill you too!"

The cinnamon haired man didn't seem to listen. He was too focused on the Slifer, which was returning with more heads. "You may be considered an invincible enemy, but I will tear you limb to limb until I find your weakness. BECAUSE NO ONE HURTS MY FRIEND!"

A loud roar escaped his lips after that outburst. As he roared, the nails on his hands grew longer and turned black and his face began appearing more monstrous. He was transforming back into his Fire Lion form. He must've forgotten to drink his daily source of water from the gourd. It didn't seem like he cared though. He was too obsessed with taking the Slifer down.

And so the battle between the Fire Lion and the Slifer began. Both kept their guard as he and the Slifer circled around. Finally, the cobra made its first move and striked, but the half demon was faster. It appeared Hiroki had the advantage as far as speed went. However, the Slifer, having a bigger body, had the advantage in strength. Not only that, but any attack used against it wouldn't affect it. Hiroki tried every slash possible, but all it did was give the Slifer more heads. How it was still able to keep its balance with all those heads was a mystery.

The Fire Lion roared in frustration as he began pulling his ultimate weapon; the one thing only he can do. Flames consumed his hands as he began throwing fireballs. The Slifer tried dodging the fireballs. That was when Akihiko noticed something. The Slifer appeared immune to any attack used on it. Even if it did dodge, it didn't let go of its confident air. However, the moment Hiroki used his fireball attack, not only did the Slifer keep dodging, it gave a nervous air.

"Fire!" he cried out, "Hiroki! Its weakness is fire!"

Hiroki's eyes smirked at the realization. He let more flames consume right up to his elbows. Knowing the Slifer's weakness, he was even more to defeat it now. Not only did he keep throwing fireballs, he even tried getting the Slifer at close range with the flames consuming his hands and the claws along with them. With one strike, Hiroki managed to get his flames to have impact on the Slifer's body; the cobra feeling the flames burn through its scaly skin. It reached the point where it did something completely unexpected.

It shed its skin off. Most likely to escape the flames. However, the spikes on its back was also shed off along with its previous skin. Could it be…? Akihiko cast a lightning bolt on the Slifer to make sure his theory was correct. Sure enough, the moment the lightning made contact with the Slifer, it gave a screech before turning into dark mist and disappeared. They had won.

Hiroki looked over at Akihiko was about to say something when all that came out was a soft roar. He remembered to drink the water in the gourd and turned back into his mostly human form before trying to speak again. "Akihiko, are you okay?"

Akihiko just stared at his friend. He was sure that the latter was angry at him for what happened despite not knowing why. He even said not that long ago that he didn't care if the silver haired man got himself killed for this. So then why did he come back?

As for Hiroki, he could see the questions in Akihiko's eyes. He sighed. "If you're wondering why I came back despite what I said, I'm wondering that myself." But that was not true. He knew the reason well enough. He thought Akihiko himself hated Hiroki, but finding out that his first priority was to see that Hiroki was safe put a warm, fuzzy feeling in the cinnamon haired man. And then seeing the Slifer coming his direction, it scared him that Akihiko would get himself hurt.

His heart jumped when he felt Akihiko's arms wrap around him. That warm strong body paired with big freezing hands holding Hiroki captive, afraid of letting him go. Hiroki felt like he wanted to cry with Akihiko's acknowledgement of him but wouldn't dare risking his pride for that. The next thing Akihiko said brought Hiroki's heart to the edge of happiness.

"I'm glad that you're alright. You are the first friend I met outside of Damonen. If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn't know what to do."

Hiroki wanted to fling his arms around him and embrace him with a kiss but, once again, his pride wouldn't let him. Besides, how would Akihiko feel to have a 'friend' kiss him out of the blue?

Akihiko pulled away in realization of something. "Misaki!" he cried out, "We defeated the Slifer! Misaki should have woken up by now! Let's go!"

He began walking away, leaving a broken hearted Hiroki. The cinnamon haired man lowered his head in pain. There was a reason he started by debating before charging up to defeat the Slifer. He could've chose to ignore the Slifer so then he wouldn't have to deal with someone else stealing the one he loved.

However, Akihiko's own life was on the line because he wanted to save Princess Misaki; because of his love for him. Would Hiroki live with the guilt of letting the very person he loved get killed by such a terrifying creature? In the end, he was glad to choose to save Akihiko, even if that meant saving the very person stealing him away from him.

But was Akihiko his to begin with?

Hiroki noticed Kaoruko who was still standing there, but the young woman followed after Akihiko with a look on her face that said 'I'm not going to get involved'. The cinnamon haired man sighed before slowly following after them. Little did any of them know that hiding like a chameleon on the wall, something was watching them.

"You may have defeated the Slifer," he hissed, "But Damonen will still fall."

**Pinkshuchan: It's a good thing they defeated the Slifer. But who was it that was watching them? And has Misaki truly woken up? Read and Review!**


	19. Fear and Love

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! It's Pinkshuchan! After a hard battle against the Slifer last chapter, will Akihiko and the others be able to take on another enemy? Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 19

Fear and Love

Misaki bolted up in a sitting position the moment his eyes opened wide. His breathing and his heartbeat was rapid in shock. It wasn't until he got an idea of things that they began to slow down back to normal. He had placed his hand over his chest and could still feel his heart beating against him. It was then he realized; he was completely awake, both mind and body. Did that mean…?!

"You've finally awaken, Princess. I guess that means Akihiko and the others managed to defeat that 'invincible' Slifer after all."

The young princess turned his head to see a man sitting there, wiping a sword with a cloth. He was confused as to who this man was when he remembered one of Akihiko's allies staying behind to take care of him. Misaki took this as a chance to look at his surroundings. They appeared to be in some sort of main hall surrounded by entrances to many different tunnels. There was green slime all over the place; on some spots on the ground and a few patches on the walls and ceiling. Confusion clouded his mind.

"Where are we?" he asked.

The older man didn't lift his gaze from his current task. "You said that you were surrounded by demons before ending up unconscious, right? This is no doubt their nest. Funny considering that demons are supposed to be serving someone from Damonen. Their leader would have to be just that. That, or the hybrid demon we're supposed to be searching for. Whoever it is, the biggest question is what he would gain from kidnapping you."

Misaki sat there, silent, when he remembered something. "I remember hearing a voice talking to me while I was trapped like that. I heard something about having Damonen fall in Erden's hand, thinking that it was them that took me."

"A full out war," The man put both the sword and the cloth away and stood up, facing the princess. "Damonen and Erden would be forced to fight each other. Did you get a reason why?"

"Something about avenging the people of Erden that had died," His eyes widened. "What happened 10 years ago! When demons attacked our people!"

"So the perpetrator is someone from Erden who hasn't gotten over the event."

"That's impossible!" Misaki lowered his head. "His voice. I admit that there was a little familiarity but… it was hard to tell. His voice was… hissing… like some sort of snake."

"The hybrid demon," the man began pacing, "That woman, Kaoruko, figured the hybrid demon had to be from someone born in Erden. The final question is who. Unfortunately, we're not going to find out here. We'll have to wait for Akihiko and the others to return before finding out all the answers. If any demons come our way, I'll handle them."

Misaki turned back to the side of the stone table he was sitting on so the bottoms of his feet touched the cold stone and held his legs close to him. "I hope nothing bad has happened to them. It's because of me they had to go find that monster after all."

The man just laughed, walking over to the princess, placing his hand on his shoulder and giving a kind, reassuring smile. "I wouldn't worry if I were you," he replied, "It's them we're talking about. That woman, Kaoruko, is a Damonen Knight. This type of thing is usually what she deals with. Then you have Hiroki, who is too hot headed and full of too much pride to let anyone kill him. And finally you have Akihiko; that son of a bitch was able to fall off a really high cliff and miraculously survive."

The chocolate haired boy's eyes began to smile themselves. "That was when he and I met. I healed his wounds. I found him completely injured and with memory loss. But all that got better and he remembered again."

"That's right!" the man removed his hand from the boy's shoulder, "That was how the two of you first met. Even since, Akihiko wouldn't stop talking about you. The fact that he would go through all this, fighting an enemy believed invincible as risking his own life, means he must truly love you."

Misaki brought his hand to his chest, feeling the deep thumping of his heart. "He… really do love me, does he? Enough to… risk his life." He lowered his head, appearing as if he was trying to forget something.

The man sat back down. "It's truly wonderful to love someone and to be loved," he sighed, "It is even believed in Stahlern that love is stronger than any steel and is the only thing that can pierce through someone's heart like a sword or an arrow."

The princess looked back up at him. "Did you have anyone like that, Mr…"

The older man laughed. "I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself. I am Miyagi, a weapon's master and blacksmith of Stahlern. Yes, you could say that I loved once," His face fell and a frown showed on his face. "But that was a long time ago."

Misaki lowered his head again, this time apologetically. "I'm… sorry if-!"

"No," Miyagi replied, "It's all in the past. I try not to let it get to me."

The princess opened his mouth to continue when growls and hisses and interrupted him. They looked around to see reptile demons, preparing to attack. Miyagi pulled out a bow and arrow and held it steady.

"Stay close to me, Princess," Miyagi called out, "I'll keep you safe. After all, you want to see that Akihiko is safe, right?"

It was true. Misaki couldn't help but want to see Akihiko, to know that he was alright. But he couldn't bear for anyone to risk their lives in order to protect him. Remembering that was not really unarmed, he pulled out his choice of weapon, his dual wielding fans. "You don't have to worry. I'm not so weak as to need to be completely protected."

This was it; both Miyagi and Misaki versus a whole horde of demons. Miyagi started with shooting arrows at the demons he saw in the distance, but quickly switched to his sword the moment any got close to him. As for Misaki, he used the fans to push away anyone that came at him, though did do some damage. However, the most effective attacks he could do used magic. It used up a lot of his energy though.

When it seemed Misaki couldn't fight as well anymore, it was mainly up to Miyagi to protect the both of them. But no matter how well the older man fought, the demons kept on coming. Miyagi was knocked down by the demons the moment they overpowered him. Unless something good came their way, they would be done for.

But then, something was heard and all the demons retreated. Misaki and Miyagi looked in the direction of the sound. Was it Akihiko and the others? No, only one pair of footsteps came their way. A singular shadow was seen against the wall. Miyagi held out his sword again just in case while Misaki stared at it in awe. That shadow looked a bit familiar. He couldn't remember where but he remembered seeing it. And then, the owner of the shadow was revealed.

"Princess Misaki! You're alright!"

Misaki's eyes widened. "Sumi?" he asked as said soldier came running over to him, "How did you find me?"

"I noticed this hole that led down here," he replied, "His Majesty is frightened of what may have happened to you. But don't worry; once we take you back to him, everything will be fine." He grabbed Misaki's wrist and was about to pull the princess through one of the tunnels when the latter pulled away.

"I can't go back to my brother just yet," said Misaki, "Not until I know that Usagi is alright."

Sumi stared at the princess with a raised eyebrow. "Usagi? You mean the traitor?"

Misaki glared at him. "He's not a traitor! He was the one who defeated the creature that put me in a deep sleep. I would still be in that state if not for him."

"Princess, how do you know he was the one that defeated the creature? It could've been someone else."

"No one else would be able to," Miyagi butted in.

But Sumi just laughed. "I'm sorry, but I _know_ full well that Damonen took Princess Misaki and hid him here as to confuse Erden. I was there when His Majesty King Takahiro saw Prince Akihiko kidnap Princess Misaki."

Misaki walked over to Sumi and placed his hands on the taller man's shoulders. "Listen to me, Sumi! Usagi is not helping Damonen. He's fighting for his freedom _from_ Damonen. Besides, I wasn't taken by Usagi; I was taken by demons."

"Doesn't it still prove that Damonen would be held responsible for taking you?"

It was Miyagi's turn. "Damonen is trying to clear their name. The one responsible is something called a 'hybrid demon'. Once we find the hybrid demon-!"

"What the hell?" Sumi snapped, "What's a hybrid demon?" He grabbed Misaki's wrist again. "Let's go, Princess! We need to get you back to your brother before we continue anymore of this nonsense!" Misaki kept trying to get Sumi to let go by trying to pull out and asking for him to let go but it wouldn't seem the soldier was going to let him go.

"Misaki!" A familiar voice called out. Everyone turned their heads to see who finally showed up. Misaki looked like he was about to cry in happiness.

"Usagi," he replied breathlessly.

Indeed, standing there was Akihiko with Hiroki and Kaoruko standing behind him. Sumi glared at the silver haired man and let Misaki go before pulling out his dual axes, preparing for a fight. Akihiko walked over with his hands in the defensive position. Misaki tried to stop him.

"Sumi, no!" he cried while holding on to him, "Usagi is not the enemy! Please, you have to listen to me! Don't hurt him!"

But the soldier didn't seem to want to listen. He pushed Misaki aside, who was lucky to be caught by Miyagi before hitting the ground, and began walking towards Akihiko.

"It's true, Sumi," Akihiko replied, "The one responsible is the hybrid demon. Once it's dealt with-!"

"Again with the 'hybrid demon'," Sumi groaned, "Enough of that! I will deal with you and then I will take the princess somewhere he will be safe!"

Sumi striked at Akihiko, who dodged the attack. Another strike, another dodge. Another strike, another dodge. Sumi kept attacking and Akihiko refused to let out his weapon. This was because he refused to fight someone he didn't really need to fight. Besides, it didn't seem like Misaki wanted either of them to fight. However, it didn't seem like anything Akihiko would say would change Sumi's mind. Did he really think that Akihiko truly kidnapped Misaki?

Out of the blue, something unusual happened. Suzuki, who usually doesn't appear in front of other humans other than their allies or appear when there's danger, tried attacking Sumi. Akihiko didn't know why the small bear was doing it. Sumi was a soldier of Erden; no one evil. So then why-!

Suzuki attacked Sumi by biting him on its arm. It did hurt him, but nothing greatly painful. In a rage, he growled at the bear, picked it up, and threw it against the wall. Akihiko ran to his little demon's side in worry. He held him in his arms, noticing how hurt the little bear was considering his size and how hard he was thrown by the way the latter looked up at him. It hurt him to see him like this. But why did he attack Sumi? He looked back at the Erden soldier and noticed something that he never saw coming.

Where Suzuki had bit him, a part of Sumi's arm was covered in moss green scales. There was no way a human could produce scales on their arm. Unless…!

Kaoruko wielded her katana. "No doubt about it! He is the hybrid demon!"

**Pinkshuchan: Sumi is revealed as the hybrid demon. What will happen now that they know? Read and Review!**


	20. Rogue Prince and Hybrid Demon Fight

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hello, this is Pinkshuchan! Behold, the next chapter of Prince of Damonen! Enjoy!**

Chapter 20

The Rogue Prince and the Hybrid Demon, Fight

The room was filled with shock. Never had anyone assumed that the soldier before them was the hybrid demon. Taken aback from this, Misaki was led by Miyagi over to Akihiko and the others to stay a distance from Sumi. He didn't know how to react to this. The moment he noticed Misaki closer to him, Akihiko stood up and gave the wounded Suzuki to the princess to keep safe. He wanted to keep his hands clear to wield his weapon in case the facts were true and he would need to protect himself and Misaki.

"So you are the hybrid demon?" he asked, wanting a clear answer.

Sumi was silent and his face was hidden under his bangs. Soft noises came from his voice, almost sounding like sobs. They grew louder and instead of crying, he was hysterically laughing. "So hybrid demons is what you'd call someone like me? If that's the case, I am the hybrid demon that you've been talking about. I'm the one behind everything; the princess' kidnapping, the entire charade of this being Damonen's plan in order for Erden to attack, everything!"

"No!" Misaki cried out, tears welling up in his eyes, "I don't believe this! I can't! Sumi, don't you remember? Our childhood together! It was the three of us; you, me, and Todo! We would always play together! You both swore to be soldiers to serve Erden while I encouraged you! There's no way you could-!"

"That is enough out of you, Princess Misaki!" Sumi snapped, "Think of the reality before you! Do you really think that anyone can properly tolerate you? It's only because you were a princess that Todo and I had to be friends with you. And honestly, are you that good a princess? All you do is sit there and expect someone to save you; someone like Prince Akihiko or King Takahiro!" He crossed his arms. "Of course, not that King Takahiro is any better! All he does is sit on his throne and pretend like nothing horrible has happened to our continent! The only time he takes any action is when you are missing. What kind of king is that?

"Imagine a king like that; almost his whole entire continent was wiped out by the demons from Damonen 10 years ago, many lives were taken. Instead of pretending it never happened, we should wipe Damonen from existence!"

Kaoruko lowered her katana and stood there, staring at him. "Listen to me," she tried to explain, "No one from Damonen was ever able to explain this to anyone in Erden. The demons that attacked Erden 10 years was not from Damonen, at least not what we allowed. They were summoned by a former Damonen Knight who abused his power to try to begin a mutiny on Damonen. He attacked Erden because of the discovery that happened 30 years ago; that certain humans could become hybrid demons, just like what you have become. He hoped that the certain people would appear and become hybrid demons, serving him to destroy Damonen. We managed to stop him, which resulted with him disappearing out of sight. Unfortunately, we were too late to save everyone that had been killed, including the former king and queen. I apologize for that."

Everyone, mostly Sumi, Misaki, and Akihiko, tried to absorb all that. Damonen tried to save Erden, not destroy it. That was unexpected. However, the shock on Sumi's face didn't last long, for as quickly as it came onto his face, anger replaced it.

"That is a load of bullshit!" he snapped once again, "This is only an excuse to save Damonen! But it's no use! Damonen will fall if I have something to say about it!"

Something took over Sumi. Everyone else watched defensively as they saw his skin change to scales and inhuman things such as claws and a long lizard tail sprouted. Only Misaki stared in fear, completely confused on what to do. Akihiko took in front of him in his way of protecting him. He wasn't going to let Sumi take his beloved Misaki; not again.

His transformation was complete and Sumi lifted up his dual axes that never left his hands. A smirk appeared on his face. "Well then," he continued, "Come and get me, Damonen born!"

Akihiko stepped forward but held his staff so no one else went past him. "I'll fight him on my own," he spoke up, "Make sure no demons go after Misaki!" Knowing they got the signal, he continued forward and held his staff in the offensive position. They gave eye contact, signalling each other that they were ready to fight.

Sumi was the first to attack. He charged at Akihiko and raised one of his arms for a strike, but the silver haired man raised his staff to block the attack before using a lot of strength to push the arm away. When the arm was out of the way, Akihiko began his own strike with his staff, but Sumi dodged it by lowering his head. This gave him the opportunity to use an uppercut slash. Akihiko was hit, but luckily for him the slash didn't go deep.

As Akihiko and Sumi had their fight, the others watched until they saw reptile like demons crawling out of hidden places. Hiroki, Miyagi, and Kaoruko armed themselves and began taking the demons on. Only Misaki, who stood there with the injured Suzuki in his arms, just stood there. His heart thumped in terror as he watched everyone trying to protect him and his eyes stung with tears welling up. The pain was already hard to take seeing Akihiko try to protect him from the person he believed was his friend. It was even harder to see the others fighting demons like this was a war.

As if this was the war 10 years ago.

He fell to his knees. He felt so weak, only watching as everyone fought. He then heard a squeak in his arms and remembered the injured bear demon. He placed the bear down on his knees and used his healing on him. Suzuki was back to normal but was still too weak to do anything.

"Suzuki!" Misaki sobbed, "Is there some way I can stop this? Is there some way I can stop Usagi and Sumi from trying to kill each other? I don't want anything to happen to either of them." But the bear only stared up at him, unable to give a proper response that would help the princess feel better.

After a while of fighting that resulted in a tie with Akihiko and Sumi; the silver haired man with lots of scars from the blades of the axes and the hybrid demon who ended up caught with lightning bolts when Akihiko was desperate to get him, Sumi began to chuckle. From the look of his face, it seemed as if he had something that was going to give him the advantage.

"You and your companions can take on me and my demons all you want," he explained, "But it's not going to stop anything. King Takahiro and the rest of the soldiers will most likely be ready to go to Damonen by now in order to save their precious princess! And you will not leave here, not as long as I'm here!" More demons appeared and Sumi looked at Misaki. "You recognize this scene, don't you Princess? You even recognize that these demons are the same as the ones that attacked us 10 years ago! These demons no longer have a master to order them around, and now they serve me!"

Akihiko growled. "That is impossible! A demon cannot survive without a master to control them!"

"That is partially true."

Everyone looked over at Kaoruko, who spoke up. "Yes, in normal circumstances, a demon cannot survive without their master. Because a demon is a creature that reflects their master's heart, having their master die means that they die as well. However, if their master's powers are stripped of them, it means that demons can survive, even if their master does not."

Akihiko's face showed disbelief to what she said. "So you mean to say that…!"

Kaoruko nodded. "Only by that can demons live without their master."

"That is correct," Sumi replied, "And now, with the demons serving me, considering I am one of them in a way, they will obey every command."

Tears began running down Misaki's cheeks. "Please Sumi, stop! If you continue this, you will be no better than the ones who killed our loved ones! Don't do this! You're better than they are!"

But Sumi did not pay attention. He merely continued on. "With the demons here, Damonen will fall and Erden will have its revenge! No more where there be any suffering! And now my demons! Kill them!" Akihiko and the others expected the demons to storm in and deal with them at once.

But nothing of the sort happened.

Sumi looked at the demons. They all just stood there, growling and hissing. The hybrid demon also gave a growl at them. "Did you not hear me? Attack!" And yet nothing would happen. Finally, one of the demons stepped forward and began giving growls. By the way Sumi was listening, it was as if the demon was talking to him.

This proved true when Sumi replied to it. "How dare you say that I am like your former master? Why would you agree to what that little brat of a princess says? I am nothing like your former master! I plan to take vengeance on those that took the lives of people I loved!" The growls continued. "You won't serve me because of my attitude? What will you do then? You can't do anything without me!" More growls. Sumi's face changed to shock and fear. "No! You can't! You can't take the lives of the people of Erden! Not when I strive to save them! If there's anyone you should kill if you really are against me now, it should be me! The people of Erden have nothing to do with this!"

It didn't seem like the demons were going to listen. They gave more growls before leaving. Sumi fell to the ground. Everyone else was shocked from what they were hearing. The demons were going to go after the people of Erden? This couldn't happen. Akihiko was going to follow them out and try to stop them before the wounds from his battle against Sumi pulled him down to the ground. Both Hiroki and Misaki ran to Akihiko's side as fast as they could with Suzuki, who regained his strength to fly again and was no longer in Misaki's arms, and Miyagi behind them and Kaoruko just standing there. Akihiko kept trying to move forward but kept falling down.

"Akihiko, stop!" Hiroki scolded him, "It's not gonna do you any good. Your injuries are getting the better of you." The silver haired man would not listen and kept trying.

"Please Usagi!" Misaki cried, "Let me heal your wounds first!"

"And waste time while those demons hurt everyone?" Akihiko managed to get out through all the pain, "I can't let that happen!"

Everyone was worried for Akihiko. His reckless behaviour was not going to help anyone and they knew that. Misaki tried stopping him by wrapping his arms around him, resting his head on the older man's shoulder. "Usagi! Please don't do this to yourself! Let me heal you! I want to everyone safe too but I don't want to see you kill yourself trying to save them in your condition. It won't help anyone at all! Please Usagi! Let me…"

Akihiko just knelt there with Misaki's lithe arms around him. He could feel warm tears dripping onto his shoulder where the princess' head was resting. He wanted to help everyone, but he didn't want to do anything to upset Misaki. He sighed in defeat. Misaki lifted his head to look into the silver haired man's violet eyes. His tears slowed down as he loosened his hold and hovered his hand in front of Akihiko's heart. His hand glowed multiple colours and a pink light in the form of a flower covered Akihiko's entire body. It took longer than the first time Misaki had used it on him, but when the light subsided, Akihiko's injuries were gone.

The silver haired man stood up, feeling as good as new, while helping Misaki up on his feet. With his injuries healed, he was ready to stop the demons. But before any of them tried leaving, Misaki stopped them to run over to Sumi. Like what he did with Akihiko, Misaki hovered his hand over Sumi's heart. Hiroki was the first to speak.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" he yelled at the princess, "That guy kidnapped you and almost tried to kill us with all those demons!"

"Even if he did do those things, he's still my friend," Misaki shouted back, "I refuse to leave anyone behind! Besides, it's most likely he will fight beside us. He doesn't want to see Erden fall as much as we do!"

Akihiko really wanted to shout at Misaki as well for doing something like this. Even if the hybrid demon wanted to protect Erden as well, his way of doing it wasn't right. But he couldn't do anything once he noticed Misaki was already healing him. He had to wait until the pink flower around Sumi's body disappeared before storming over to Misaki and drag him away. Once everything was taken care of, they left the demon's lair, leaving Sumi behind, who began to think over some things.

**Pinkshuchan: And that's the end of that chapter. I know what you're all thinking; how long until we end the entire part involving Erden and head to the other continents to introduce Nowaki and Shinobu, right? It shouldn't take many chapters hopefully. I will try to get all this over in as few chapters as possible before introducing the next part of the story. Read and Review!**


	21. Demon War

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! It's Pinkshuchan! Here it is; the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. Enjoy!**

Chapter 21

Demon War

The air felt colder than it ever felt before. Maybe it was because they were in the demons' hideout for too long or because the sun was setting. Either way, the air had an unusual chill to it. With darkness fast approaching, Akihiko and the others knew they needed to reach the village as soon as possible. Even better, they needed to get there before the demons and warn everyone of what was to come to them. They just hoped they weren't too late.

They hurried as fast as they could to the village. Misaki, being born from Erden and who knew his way around, lead the way with Akihiko right behind him and everyone else not too far behind. They ran and ran, passing nothing but what appeared to be an endless row of trees. These were not endless, however, for eventually they would reach the village to try to stop the demons.

An arrow zoomed past them before they could take another step, luckily not hitting anyone. They looked in the direction the arrow came from. It came from the Erden soldiers, who began to surround the five and armed their weapons. They had already found them. Standing there alongside them was King Takahiro. Akihiko put two and two together and knew what situation they were in now. Takahiro, trying to search for the kidnapped Misaki, and Akihiko, assumed to be the kidnapper. Plus with Misaki standing beside him now made it look more obvious. It would take a lot of convincing on his end to prove he was not the kidnapper.

"Big Brother!" Misaki spoke up, "This is-!"

"Misaki! Come here!" Takahiro interrupted. Misaki wanted to say something to prove that it wasn't what Takahiro was thinking but those eyes that usually kind and gentle towards him appeared cold and yet scared for his little brother's safety. The princess, unsure of what to do, looked up at Akihiko. Could he really just leave him to be close to dead? The silver haired man looked at his beloved princess and gave him the signal to go over to his brother. The chocolate haired boy stared at him in worry, not sure if Akihiko really meant it. But then he knew what the former prince was thinking. Takahiro would only be more convinced of Akihiko as the kidnapper if they didn't give in.

They had no choice. Misaki slowly and cautiously walked over to his brother, hoping that by walking closer to him that he would cause more trouble to the man who saved him; the man who said he loved him. After taking his time, he finally reached his brother and the soldiers. They raised their guard more in case Akihiko and the others tried to do anything. Before they could think of attacking, Akihiko speaks up.

"Could you just listen to me for a second?" he asked, "Misaki was taken by demons, yes, but they were demons cut off from Damonen. They are on the loose and they are heading to the village as we speak."

"And just how do you expect us to believe you when you were caught twice with Misaki in your grasp?" Takahiro replied back, "Isn't this more proof that you really are responsible for my brother's kidnapping?"

Misaki just stood there with his head down. He didn't know what to do. What was happening was something that would affect lives of both Akihiko and the village. This would mean talking back to his brother; the very person who raised him after their parents' death. He began to realize what he was thinking? Was he willing to let others die because he was too cowardly to talk back to his brother? He had to speak up, for the people of Erden and for Akihiko.

"Big Brother," his voice let out, "If you would just-!"

"Be quiet, Misaki," Takahiro snapped back, "It's best for you to stay out of this."

And within a second, something within the princess snapped. "No, I will not be quiet!" The king stared at his little brother in shock but listened as Misaki continued. "Usagi was not the one who took me! He was the one who saved me! And right now, he's trying to save everyone in Erden. He is not like the Damonen Knight who tried creating homicide on our people. I was there to see everything that happened and I know what I saw. His words are true; there are wild demons heading to the village, and if we don't get there soon, we'll have a repeat of ten years ago!" Seeing the look on his older brother's face, Misaki resulted back in his meek state and lowered his head. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't…"

During that small time, Takahiro remained quiet and took in all his little brother said. Never had Misaki ever properly spoke up to him like this. Not since ten years ago. He walked up to the princess and placed his hands on the younger's slender shoulders.

"Misaki," Takahiro finally spoke out; his voice back to its usual calm demeanour, "Your words are true? It's been so long. You… will stand up for someone who I saw kidnap you?"

The princess looked up at him. "He never did kidnap me, Big Brother. He has been nothing but kind to me since we met. And… I know… just by being beside him or just by looking at him… that I can trust him."

Takahiro looked into Misaki's eyes. With every word he spoke, emerald eyes would sparkle with radiance. He had seen that look before; it was the look of…

He pulled back and looked over to Akihiko and the rest of the soldiers. He thought about it briefly before something happened. The ground vibrated below them, stones shifting around. A large rumble could be heard heading towards them. They looked in the direction of the rumble and saw what it was.

The demons were heading in their direction. It was a surprise that they hadn't already reached the village. Kaoruko smirked at something. Akihiko took a closer look and realized what it was. As the demons were running, it appeared that something was after them. They were chased by another group of demons of a different variety. He recognized those demons all too well and knew who they belonged to.

"It seems Brother Haruhiko was prepared for something like this to happen," Kaoruko replied, "He may have slowed them down but they're still heading this way."

Akihiko pulled out his staff. "Then we'll have to take care of the rest."

The rest of Akihiko's companions wielded their weapons and followed Akihiko into the battle. The soldiers looked over at their kings, waiting for a command. Takahiro wasted no time. If those demons really were planning to attack their village, he couldn't let it happen. He gave the command to join the others against the demons. As for the king himself, he and a few soldiers, including Todo, stayed behind with Misaki to keep the latter safe.

The fight went on until one side appeared superior. There were a few injuries but Erden's soldiers were able to succeed with the help of Akihiko and the others. They thought that they have fixed the problem for good until they saw smoke coming from the direction of the village. It couldn't mean…!

"I should've known!" Kaoruko gasped, "There were a lot more demons from what I remembered in the lair." They didn't want to waste any time and hurried to the village.

They reached the village seeing the people fleeing and the entire village being engulfed in flames. Once the people saw the Erden soldiers, they ran over to them, hoping for protection. There were cries about demons attacking the village and that some people were still trapped inside. Takahiro froze in fear in hearing that Manami was one of them trapped. Nothing more needed to be said before Akihiko declared that he was going to go in there to help everyone still in the village. Misaki tried to go with him, but Akihiko refused to let the princess get hurt. He told the chocolate haired boy to stay behind and take care of the people with the others before running head on into the burning village with Hiroki, Miyagi, and Kaoruko following behind him.

The moment they got into the village, the green of the plants and trees were replaced with a bright red from the flames. Branches from the houses made of trees would occasionally fall from the destruction the flames made. Miyagi gave the idea for them to split up in order to cover more ground and find people quicker. Hopefully they reach these people before having their lives taken by the flames consuming the village or the demons which may have caused the fire. As decided, they split up in their own direction. Akihiko headed to where the rock castle was. There demons that tried to block his path, but he was able to get past them with little to no injuries.

After quite a distance in some time, he finally reached the rock castle to see Manami trying to escape from what looked like a crocodile type demon. He attacked the demon, putting it out of the offensive, and called on the queen to run. She did not hesitate and ran as fast as she could to escape the village.

A battle began between Akihiko and the crocodile type demon. The demon made the first move and Akihiko blocked it. A back and forth between the silver haired man and the demon began to take place. The demon was able to take physical attacks while barely feeling anything but it was an entire different story with Akihiko using his lightning bolts. Akihiko on the other hand did well to avoid the demon's attacks as his speed was faster. While he would still get hit by the occasional attack, it wasn't too bad. But he noticed that the tables were going to turn by one attack it was able to do.

Back outside the village, Misaki watched as Hiroki, Miyagi, and Kaoruko returned with a few survivors. Some were injured while other were just terrified from what happened. A few lives were taken, but the majority of the village was okay. Takahiro cried with joy when she saw Manami appear. He ran over to her and held her in his arms, never planning to let her go. But one thing worried Misaki.

Where was Akihiko?

Manami explained that Akihiko appeared and was able to distract the demon while she made her escape. There was only one thing though about the demon; it was the demon that started all the fires in the village. If Akihiko was not careful, it was most likely that he was going to die.

Before another word about the matter could be said, Miyagi noticed something and shouted. Everyone turned to see Misaki running into the village, most likely to go help Akihiko. They were about to go stop him until they saw another twist happening. Another horde of demons was heading their way. The soldiers would have to take care of them, so they couldn't do anything to stop Misaki. Hiroki, who like Misaki was deeply worried about Akihiko, agreed to follow the princess in and go help save Akihiko. With no more words, he too ran into the burning village.

Akihiko was brought down to his knees. He never expected the crocodile to be able to spit out fireballs at such a rapid pace, giving the silver haired man no chance to dodge them and only knocks him down if he tries to guard. He looked up at the demon to notice something happening. It took one deep breath, flames slipping out from time to time, for one great attack. Akihiko was too weak to get up and he couldn't even properly lift his staff. He only closed his eyes, hoping that even if he were to die that the others were saved. The crocodile let out a blow and a stream of fire came right towards the silver haired man.

But there was no pain or complete darkness. He opened his eyes to see what had happened only for a bright pink light to blind him. He was able to open his eyes again when he noticed the light dimmed a bit, revealing that he was in some sort of flower bud shaped barrier. He looked over at what caused the barrier and after the barrier was completely gone along with the river of flames from the demon, he used all his strength that was replenished to catch Misaki in his arms. He didn't think the princess would come to his aid and protect him using a barrier. Not to mention the barrier had weakened the princess quite a bit to knock him off his feet.

Misaki looked up at him and gave a small smile. "I'm okay," he assured the silver haired man, "It's just very rare for me to use that skill so it takes a lot out of me. Not enough to not be able to heal you." To prove it, he raised his hand close to Akihiko's chest and the bright light returned on his hand to heal the wounds made by the demon. Akihiko felt refreshed, but he wasn't sure about what to do with Misaki and with the demon close by.

He then realized. Why didn't the demon try to attack them while they were both down? They were perfectly open for any attack. He heard roars from where the demon was and saw the demon fighting with Hiroki. Akihiko began to worry for his friend.

"Hiroki! It's not safe!" he cried.

But Hiroki wasn't going to listen. He was determined to defeat the demon. The demon spit out fireballs but Hiroki was able to catch them in his hands, considering how his own hands were able to summon fireballs. Once he caught the fireballs, he threw them back at the crocodile demon. Because the demon was more strength than speed, all the fireballs were able to hit him. One of them hit it in the eye. It roared in pain; feeling the flame burn through the eye, melting it. With its defence down, Hiroki looked over at Akihiko, as if he was signalling him to finish it off. With one arm still holding Misaki close to him, Akihiko used his other hand to aim one last lightning bolt at the demon and strike it down. It roared before fading into dark mist, same as other demons.

It was defeated.

They hurried back to the others. Hiroki used his immunity of fire to look for safe pathways back while Akihiko carried Misaki bridal style, despite the younger's protests. With this effort, they finally made it back to be greeted with joyful and relieved faces. Akihiko put Misaki down just as the princess was scooped up in his older brother's arms and held in a deep embrace. The chocolate haired boy assured him that he didn't need to worry; that he was perfectly fine.

But then there was the matter of the demons that were still in there and the ones still coming their way. It was something to worry about until another bunch of demons appeared; Haruhiko's demons. A war between the rouge demons and the royal demons began, filled with bloodshed and fear, underneath the blood red sky and within the hellish flames. Many of the Erden civilians, including Misaki, were petrified in fear of the sight before them. At the same time, they could not take their eyes away, in case the rouge demons won and planned to come after them. Some people, especially Misaki, were reminded of the war from ten years ago from the sight.

Akihiko noticed Misaki's body tremble to the sight. He cautiously wrapped his arms around the small figure in a way of comfort. It caught him off guard when the princess returned the embrace and held onto him tightly as if he would fall if his grasp was looser, hiding his face in the older man's chest.

The battle went on and both sides kept losing some demons from their forces. In the end though, Haruhiko's demons won and the enemy demons were wiped from Erden. As well, rain hit Erden and eliminated all the flames. The people were safe although left homeless. It would take time before they could regain what was lost. A few grieved with the people that were killed because of the demons, but even so there was enough people that survived to continue Erden. The people rejoiced at that fact.

And then there was Hiroki. It was not that he wasn't happy for the people of Erden, but rather that he was a little envious. The demons attacked them twice and yet despite the lives that were taken, there were still enough to continue on and build Erden again. He looked down at his hand, remembering everything that had been done to him and his village; the fact that they were treated as test subjects to figure out how to create an artificial hybrid demon. Now, he was the only citizen of Feuern left.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Miyagi standing there. The raven haired man asked f he was okay. The half demon forced the hand off his shoulder and explained coldly that he was before storming away. Miyagi could tell by his attitude that that was not the case. However, knowing how angry the cinnamon haired man can get when provoked, he decided not to push any farther on the subject and hoped that he'd calm down eventually.

Suddenly, they heard rustling from some bushes. Those experienced with a weapon held their guard in case anything came at them. Whatever it was in the bushes came closer and closer. When it finally came out, Akihiko and his companions recognized who it was.

It was Sumi. He appeared to be out of breath considering he may have run quite a distance to get to the village ruins and happened to still be in his demon form. But before anyone could point it out to him, he gave a sigh of relief.

He told everyone the truth, knowing he'd have to come clean. He explained everything; his plan, the fact that kidnapped Misaki, and because of him that the demons were furious enough to force their anger against him on Erden. He even explained the cause of how he became a hybrid demon; demons gave him blood to keep him alive when he was close to death during the attack ten years ago. He expected the people to be furious with him as much as the demons were. It completely shocked him when King Takahiro walked over to him and placed his hand on the hybrid demon's shoulder.

"What you had done had almost placed all the people of Erden in danger," he spoke up, "You kidnapped Misaki just to see Erden and Damonen commit not a righteous for either continent, but meaningless bloodshed that should not be executed. While I can understand why you would want to do this, this doesn't make it right."

Sumi only laughed like an insane person would. "Why?" he asked, "Most of our loved ones were killed by these demons controlled by Damonen. The ones that served me were free from that control. With the power of the demons and the strength of Erden, we could avenge our loved ones' deaths."

Takahiro glared at him. "But if we did that, we would be no different. The reason of Erden's existence was to be peaceful with everyone and everything around us, fighting only when the peace is broken. Our way of fighting should be to protect those we love, not to use for vengeance. I too was in pain after the death of my parents and many others' loved ones. But I always remembered what my parents told me while growing up; something I will keep with me until the day I die. 'A tree that survives a fire or a slaughter does not become poisoned with hate; it lives on, rebuilds a forest, and keeps on going'.

"Just like that tree, I will not let hatred consume me. I will keep life going in Erden. Not just my life, but the lives of my wife, my little brother, and the people of Erden. The trees destroyed would not want the survivors to grieve them."

The king's words touched the hearts of the people. Everything he said was true of how more bloodshed would only taint the paradise they called their home. Even Akihiko, Miyagi, and surprisingly Hiroki could feel the passion in his words of strength. Hiroki lowered his head. Could he really live on knowing that the people he loved were taken from him? He shook his head. He wasn't alone. He had Akihiko and Miyagi with him.

Sumi only shook his head. "Peace will only get you so far. Strong men go after the weak."

"There is a difference of what it means to be strong and what it means to be reckless," Takahiro lent his hand to Sumi. "You are a citizen of Erden. You were born this way and always will be. And nothing that has been done to you can change that. As long as you are a citizen, you are always welcome here."

The hybrid demon was silent. He didn't know how to counter the king's words. He always assumed that King Takahiro would appear weak as he would never dare fight for those that needed to be avenged. But he was wrong. The reason why he would never attack Damonen, even after the deaths of many people he loved, was because he needed to protect the people he loved that were still alive. That indeed proved him strong in spirit. But Sumi only thought of him as foolish.

He took Takahiro's hand and stood up. When the king lowered his guard, the hybrid demon was ready to strike. He was unable to do so however when something was dropped on the both of them. It appeared as some sort of net. Both Sumi and Takahiro tried to break out but it was no use on their own. Misaki cried in fear as he ran over to aid his brother. He pulled out his fans and also tried to cut the net. The net was impenetrable. Whether on the inside or the outside, it would not break. Akihiko was on his way to assist in any way possible when something caught his eye.

A medium sized phoenix like demon appeared within the dark grey sky. It was amazing how its feathers made of flames would not dim or go out from the drops of the rain. It gave a cry before swooping down on them. Akihiko grabbed Misaki to pull him out of the phoenix's way. When they raised their heads, the princess cried as he watched the phoenix carry away the net that held his brother. The rest of the people began to panic for their king that was taken away from them. Manami had to try to calm everyone down, telling everyone that Takahiro would return. Sadly, she herself didn't seem to be sure and also showed worry on her face.

Akihiko wanted to hold Misaki in his arms to comfort him. But he knew that wasn't what he needed at the moment. There were questions that needed answering. The silver haired man stormed over to Kaoruko, who he knew had an idea of what was going on and demanded an explanation.

"That net is a trap created in Damonen to catch any hybrid demons we find," she explained, appearing monotonous with everything that happened, "It was created to be indestructible and will not let loose until released within quarters of Damonen's palace. It was by mistake that it took Erden's king."

This did not please Akihiko. "Tell Haruhiko to send King Takahiro back to Erden this instant!"

Kaoruko glared back at him. "You don't have the authority to order me around, traitorous prince! Besides, even if you did there is no way to contact Brother Haruhiko. Whether anything needs to be discussed from two different parts of Elementar, it can only be activated on his side."

"Even so, he needs to be returned to Erden."

The Damonen Knight just brushed him off and began to walk away. "Unfortunately, it is of no concern to me unless I'm given the order to do so. The hybrid demon is being taken back to Damonen as we speak and yet failed to eliminate you. As far as I'm concerned, anything involving you will be the job for the next Damonen Knights and Brother Haruhiko has no order to bring back King Takahiro."

She said no more words and was gone before anyone could stop her. The rest of the day, Erden was in grief. With all of their homes burned down, they all had to reside in the rock castle, which was still in tact despite the flames that consumed the entire village. With it getting so dark, Manami offered Akihiko, Hiroki, and Miyagi a place to stay until dawn. Despite Hiroki's protests, explaining that they still had things to do, they accepted the offer. Manami smiled and showed them where they could rest.

As they walked around the castle, Akihiko realized something. "Where is Misaki?"

"He went off somewhere to calm himself down," Manami explained, "Don't be so worried! I had Todo accompany him." This made Akihiko feel better but he still couldn't help but worry. He knew that this impacted the princess more than it did for the rest of Erden and he was not sure how he was taking it.

Quite a distance from the village but not too far, Misaki sat on a rock with his head down, feeling the pain of losing his brother, the only family he had left. Todo, although standing there, kept his distance. He knew that the princess wasn't in a good mood for anyone to be close to him at this moment. He hoped though that the princess would still talk.

"Princess?" he spoke up.

Misaki did not move. It was as if his grief had turned him into a motionless statue, forever showing hurt and pain. His voice, however, didn't show it. "Todo, if possible I just want to be left alone. I'll be fine. I just…"

He couldn't continue. The rest was just too painful to say. But Todo only gave a melancholy smile. He bowed. "Yes, my princess!" He walked away, hoping that he was doing the right thing.

When he felt Todo's presence go, Misaki raised his head and looked properly at all the damage that had been done. The rain continued to pour despite the flames had already vanished. But the damage was still visible, from the skeleton trees it left to the ashes that got mixed in with the dirt. A little farther away from the village, he could see that there was still a lot of green in Erden. But the green around the village had turned into a dark and dreary graveyard.

The chocolate haired boy's heart began to feel heavy for the damage; for the village almost getting destroyed and for the kidnapping of his brother. His eyes blurred as tears began welling up and falling down his cheeks along with raindrops. He brought his hands up and covered his face in guilt.

"It's all my fault," he sobbed quietly as the rain kept falling down and darkness took over.

**Pinkshuchan: Yes, we leave it on a sad note. It was a really long chapter although hopefully the next chapters won't be as long. What will happen now? Read and Review!**


	22. Forest of the Flowers

**Pinkshuchan: LALIHO! Hello, it's Pinkshuchan. This is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 22

Forest of the Flowers

The atmosphere in the section close to the village was as dark and depressing as it was the day before. The people roamed around filled with frowns and left an air that seemed to want to pull more people into depression to satisfy its hunger. Never had Akihiko thought he would see this village; the village that belonged to the people of Erden, the most peaceful people he had ever met, filled with depression. He couldn't blame them though. Not only was their home turned into a dreary wasteland, but their king was taken away from them.

Was this what everyone was like right after the events that happened ten years ago?

He asked Manami this. She explained that indeed at the time, the people were in a similar state after the demons attacked and many people's lives were taken, including the lives of the former king and queen. It wasn't until a few days later did Takahiro snap out of his moment of depression and gave everyone courage to rebuild Erden and live on. With Takahiro gone, the people can't feel any more hope.

Akihiko frowned. It was sad to know a peaceful continent like Erden could fall so easily should their ruler be taken from them. It shows how dependant they are. At the same time, he could sympathize with their mood. If they had a leader their whole life, they would have no choice but be dependant. They loved their king who selflessly protected them. No one loved him as much as his family though, including Misaki.

He made a decision. "I'll go get him back."

Everyone looked over at him in shock. None of them understood what was going on. Akihiko went on in more detail. "I'm heading to Damonen anyways. When I get there, I'll make sure King Takahiro is returned to Erden. I promise."

The people stared in hope. Manami was the one to speak. "You'll get Takahiro back?"

Akihiko nodded. "Besides, I know Haruhiko. He'll let him go if he doesn't want to start a controversy," He looked at Manami. "Do you know where Misaki is? I would like to see him before I leave."

Manami shook her head. "I haven't the slightest idea where he is. Actually, I haven't see him since yesterday. I'm sure he's not far though. Todo must be with him."

Before any more words could be said, Todo ran over to Manami. He gasped for breath the moment he reached her and looked at her; fear easily evident on his face. "Your Majesty," he spoke like a whisper, "Something has happened.

The queen looked over at him with confusion and concern. If Todo ran over here, then…! "Where is Misaki?" she asked in worry, hoping that the next thing he says would not be what she was dreading. Akihiko looked over at Todo the same way, worried about the soldier's next words.

Both of them were not lucky. Todo took another deep breath. "I searched everywhere from his chambers to the place where I last saw him and all around the parts of land near the village. He is nowhere to be found."

It was a good thing it was only the five of them there. If anyone else heard this, there would be complete panic and anarchy. It was tough enough that their king was taken. It would be worse for them to find out their princess was missing too. However even though it was a few that heard the horrible news, the reaction was still the same. The only one who's reaction was neither of worry and concern was Hiroki. It wasn't the fact that Misaki was gone but more so the fact that this was the second time the princess had gone missing.

Akihiko refused to go off anywhere without knowing for sure that Misaki was safe. Much to Hiroki's displeasure and Miyagi not really minding so much, the silver haired man told the queen that he would go look for the princess. Manami wished for the three of them to be safe.

When they left the perimeter of the village grounds, Akihiko summoned Suzuki out. If anyone could easily find Misaki, it would be the little bear demon. After hearing everything, Suzuki focused everything on trying to find Misaki. He finally got a good idea of the princess' presence and began leading the three men to the princess' location.

They found themselves standing at an entrance to an entirely different section of the forests within Erden, with flowers covering the entirety of the ground with the exception of a path as well as flowers on vines surrounding the trees. Even the trees themselves looked almost like flowers. It appeared as if it was some sort of flower forest. Anything involving flowers definitely involved Misaki; Akihiko was sure of it. Without anymore debate, he began to walk in the forest, ignoring the cries of his comrades from going in without thinking things over first. In the end, both Hiroki and Miyagi only sighed with their ally's stubbornness and followed him in.

Nothing but their footsteps and the sound of leaves blown by the wind could be heard as they walked through the forest. Nothing else seemed to be moving around in the forest either. It was if they were the only ones in the whole forest. Not even another living creature.

Akihiko was confused. He looked over at Suzuki. "You're sure that Misaki is here?" Suzuki nodded. Despite the confident nod, the bear himself appeared as if he was not even sure himself. They didn't have a choice but continue forward though as they had no other lead.

They walked even farther through the forest until they found themselves standing before a thick tree with tiny pictures on it and another pathway that moved right. Akihiko and Hiroki were about to continue through the path when Miyagi stopped them. He walked over to the tree to get a closer look at it. Akihiko and Hiroki stared at their older companion.

"I don't understand what is so interesting about these pictures," Hiroki explained, "They look just like any other set of pictures."

"These aren't really pictures," Miyagi replied, "At least not the type of pictures you assume they are. This is actually Erden writing."

The cinnamon haired man crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Oh really? If you know that much, I assume you know what it says."

Miyagi looked at it closer. "My translation of this may not be exact, but this is what I can figure out by what I know. 'Nothing but a flower can pass through here.'"

"And you're able to figure that out just by looking at it?" Akihiko asked.

The older man looked over to his younger companions and smiled. "I've spent a lot of time here in Erden before. You learn a lot of things when you've been around like I have," He looked back at the tree. "Judging by this, I assume that this is a warning. Something must be up ahead."

Akihiko couldn't believe what the weapon's master was suggesting. "Are you saying we go back and not bother going in? Misaki is here. Suzuki was able to sense it. I refuse to go back if that means leaving him in danger again."

"No one says you have to abandon him," Miyagi assured him, "We just don't know what's up ahead. What I don't get is why Princess Misaki would be here."

"It doesn't matter why he's here!" Akihiko could not hide the worry on his face. "If this place is really dangerous, then Misaki could be in trouble!" He continued walking through the path. "No matter what it is that may lie ahead, I'm moving forward." Nothing more could be done but to follow Akihiko forward. Nothing was going to change his mind now, even if it turned out the Misaki was not in there.

They found themselves standing in the middle of a giant patch of grass with trees and flowers keeping their distance. In front of them appeared to be what looked like a giant flower bud three times the size of Akihiko with two thick trees surrounded by vines standing on each side of it. Other giant flowers only half the size of the silver haired man stood close to the giant patch of grass surrounding it. There appeared to be no other paths. Did they reach a dead end? If so, where was Misaki?

"He's not here!" Hiroki groaned, "That bear must've got the wrong scent. I say we go back and believe that the princess is back home."

Akihiko couldn't understand what was going on. Suzuki said that he sensed Misaki here even if it wasn't a hundred percent. There had to be something here; something that led to Misaki's location. His observation was clouded by worry and panic though. What if Misaki wasn't here? What if something terrible _had_ happened to him? His breaths quickened, his heart pounded. Dark worrisome thoughts clouded his mind. He began to hyperventilate. Misaki, Misaki, Misaki, Misaki, MISAKI!

He was snapped out of it by a hand resting on his shoulder. He looked over to see Miyagi standing there with a calm look. He gave Akihiko an assuring smile. "I'm sure that the princess is alright. We just need to keep looking."

The silver haired man just stared at his older companion. He wanted to believe his words. He needed to. He needed to hold onto that hope that his precious Misaki was alright. He gave a little nod and was about to join Hiroki with leaving when the most unusual yet terrifying thing happened.

The path they came through was blocked by long thick vines. The air around them felt cold and eerie, causing them to shiver. Miyagi had a feeling of what was going to happen and armed himself with a sword. Akihiko and Hiroki just stood there confused when the silver haired man noticed something and he too pulled out his weapon. The blockage, the air, Suzuki disappeared once again; something was ready to attack. Weird noises were heard around them and Hiroki was the last to arm himself. They didn't know where the sound came from when the cinnamon haired man noticed a little detail that was off.

The flowers that surrounded them were moving closer.

Seeing no point in continuing to act innocent, the flowers revealed themselves as monstrous flora; glowing eyes and sharp fangs on their faces and thick roots serving as legs. They began charging at the team all at once. With all of them armed, the three comrades dealt with the living flowers, slashing and breaking them in half. They were barely able to defeat them when they decided to back off and go back to their original spots. Was this it? Despite winning, the flowers decided to give up? Why would they do that?

They didn't have to wait long to find out though.

The giant flower bud, like the rest of the monstrous flowers, began to come alive. However, unlike the rest of the flora, it only stayed in one spot in between the two trees. The vines holding on to the trees began to move and served as the bud's arms. The bud itself slightly opened, acting like a mouth, and looking no different from a mouth as it had fangs and a snake tongue. The rest of the flowers began to move around as if chanting and worshipping the giant bud.

The battle continued. The bud used the vine like arms to attack the trio. The three were barely able to jump out of the way. After the bud's attack, the trio tried attacking the vines, believing that it would bring the giant flower at a disadvantage. However to their surprise, when the vines were cut, they would grow back almost immediately. If not the vines, then it was possible that its weak spot was its head. Sadly though, all close range attempts resulted with the vines grabbing them and throwing them away without throwing them out of the battlefield and long ranged attempts like Akihiko's lightning bolts, Hiroki's fireballs, or Miyagi's arrows, resulted with the bud taking it in its mouth and aiming it back at them. Even when the bud decided to lean forward and attack with its unusual fangs and the vines couldn't protect the head, the attacks would not work, as if the bud was made steel.

This was a tough battle; even tougher than fighting the Slifer. At least the Slifer had some sort of weakness. The bud didn't seem to have any, or if it did Akihiko and the others didn't have that certain ability to find out what it was. The giant flora was practically invincible and there was no way for them to escape. It appeared that this was the end.

It was too soon to believe that however.

A soft and beautiful yet eerie sound came from beyond the trees. It was some sort of tune, sung not in hums nor in a language the trio could understand. Yet the bud and the rest of the flora appeared calm and at ease, as if falling to sleep. As if in a trance, they went back to their original positions before attacking the three. Only one question could be asked; where did the tune come from?

The source of the song came walking towards them, looking over at the flowers before looking at the trio. "The song will only put them to sleep temporarily. We need to leave before they wake up." No more words were shared until they hurried to escape the forest as fast as they could.

The moment they were finally out, they all stopped to catch their breath. Akihiko looked up and began asking something he had been meaning to ask to the person in question. "Why were you in that forest in the first place, Misaki?"

Misaki looked over at Akihiko with a glare. His hands were placed on his hips as he began to speak. "I should say the same to you! Did no one tell you how dangerous this forest was?"

"Oh really?" It was Hiroki's turn to glare at the princess, "If it's so dangerous, then why is it okay for you to go in there?"

"When you were in the forest, did you come across a tree with pictures on it? Those pictures are an ancient Erden language."

"I figured a rough translation with them," Miyagi explained, "It said; 'Nothing but a flower can pass through here.'"

Misaki nodded. "That is exactly what it says. And like it says, only a 'flower' can pass through there. That's why it's safe for me to go in."

Hiroki huffed. "What the hell! You're not a flower!"

Miyagi nodded. "But don't forget, Hiroki. Princess Misaki is nicknamed Erden's 'flower'. I believe that may be what it meant by only a flower can pass."

Akihiko also began to nod. And they experienced with their own eyes how Misaki can get past the monster flora on his own. It didn't explain though why Misaki went in the forest. Surely he didn't go in there for no reason. He asked his question again, hoping this time to get an answer. The princess only frowned and lowered his eyes, trying to avoid eye contact. He then raised his head again as he realized something.

"Weren't you supposed to be leaving Erden today?" he asked, "Why are you still here?"

"You disappeared," Akihiko replied, "I was worried about you so I went looking for you. But that's beside the point; you're avoiding the question!"

But Misaki wouldn't answer. He only kept telling them that it would be best if they hurried on their way to whatever destination they needed to go. Akihiko wouldn't budge. He could see that Misaki was hiding something involving the forest. The princess pointed something out, causing the three to turn heads. Seeing that there was nothing there, they turned back to see Misaki running away. Now they knew he was truly hiding something. Akihiko ran after him. The silver haired man, having longer legs, managed to catch up and grabbed the princess' wrists. The chocolate haired boy tried to get out, screaming at the elder to let him go. Akihiko still wouldn't budge.

And through his cries, the truth came out.

"Let me go! I have to save my brother!"

Akihiko looked down at the young princess; the latter trembling. A question slipped out his lips. "By saving your brother, you mean you plan to head to Damonen," Misaki nodded. "You don't need to worry about that. I will be heading to Damonen myself to take care of the matter."

But the princess only glared at him. "You shouldn't be troubled about this anymore! This is something only I can do. It was my fault he got in this predicament in the first place. If I was more careful so I wouldn't fall into Sumi's trap…"

"That wasn't your fault," Akihiko assured him as he moved his hands from the younger's wrists to his shoulders, massaging them, "No one could've predicted what was going to happen. It just happened."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't go to save my brother myself!" Misaki lowered his head. "After the death of my parents, Big Brother had so many responsibilities pushed onto him. He did everything for Erden as well as raise me on his own. Manami helped as soon as he married her, but that didn't change anything. He put the people of Erden's wellbeing before his own. He put _my_ wellbeing before his own. What did I ever do to repay him for everything? I couldn't do anything. At least now I can do something to help him; to show that I can help him with anything he needs. And I want to help him because I just don't want to lose anyone I love ever again!" Tears began to form in emerald eyes. "I already lost my parents. I don't want to lose my brother too. I don't want…"

Sobs took over words. Akihiko could only stare down at the princess as he cried over his determination to get his brother back. Never had the silver haired man seen such love between two brothers; something he himself did not share with his own brother. It was something genuine, heart warming even. Akihiko himself felt a fluttery feeling in his chest just witnessing how much these brothers love each other and would do anything to protect one another.

He sighed. "Misaki, I can't let you go off to save him on your own… … so I will have to accompany you and protect you."

Everyone looked at Akihiko with shock and disbelief. Misaki protested against it. He refused to let Akihiko assist him when he had already done so much for Erden. The silver haired man assured him that he was willing. He even explained that he had already agreed to it. Misaki attempted to try to keep his protests strong but with every word Akihiko said, the protests grew weaker and weaker. Hiroki too tried to make protests; reasons different from the princess'. However like Misaki, his protests failed to reach the silver haired man.

In the end, it was agreed that Misaki would join them.

"But wait!" Miyagi spoke out, "That doesn't explain why the princess was here in this forest."

That was true. It still didn't explain why Misaki came to the Forest of Flowers. Misaki appeared nervous to explain his reasoning, but knowing he had no choice he took a deep breath and began to explain.

"There was something my mother taught me when I was younger, before she… you know what. She taught me that if anything were to happen to Erden and there was something that required me to leave, whether temporarily or permanently, to go deep in the Forest of Flowers and take with me a precious heirloom passed down from princess to princess all through generations, to remind me of my home here."

"And what would that be?" Akihiko asked. Misaki took a deep breath before pulling out the very thing that caused all this trouble for them. Akihiko was mesmerized. Miyagi was in awe. Hiroki on the other hand was deeply disappointment.

"A flower?" he cried out, "You mean to tell me that you went through that dangerous forest and had us follow you ALL FOR A FUCKING FLOWER!?"

Indeed, in Misaki's hand was a flower with glowing pink petals. It was an unusual looking flower sure, but it was still a flower. Akihiko thought that it was nice looking, something fitting the princess. It didn't occur to him with how silly it would sound to go through danger just for a flower. But Miyagi appeared to have another opinion on the flower.

He looked at the princess with curiosity. "This flower… You said it has been passed down through generations, right?" Misaki nodded. "Flowers never tend to last this long. The longest any flower would last would be until winter."

Akihiko stared at the flower in realization. A flower that was able to last this long? Could it be…? It had to be.

This was the flower that never dies.

Even more reason for Misaki to accompany them. Not that there was anything the princess had as a reason to not accompany them. At this point, Misaki had already given up and agreed to accompany them. They returned to Erden, assuring the people that Misaki was alright. No later would they go on their way and leave Erden, heading to the next continent bringing them one step closer to Damonen.

Meanwhile at Damonen, Haruhiko heard everything that had happened in Erden. He cursed for the events; how Kaoruko didn't battle Akihiko to the death let alone defeat him as well as the net meant for the hybrid demon also capturing the king of Erden. He used his fingers to rub his temples from the pain of the stress. This was convenient with the fact that he had wanted to talk with the king of Erden for a while and this was the perfect opportunity; it was just the fact that it was resulted to this.

The other thing was that it meant he had to go next in line of Damonen Knights to go after Akihiko. He knew full well what that meant and groaned in annoyance as he knew what was going to happen. Taking a sigh, knowing he had no choice, he gets up from his throne and heads to the quarters of the next Damonen Knight, or more so 'Damonen Knights.'

He found himself at the door. He was ready to knock on the door when he heard sounds coming from behind. He listened closely to the sounds, realizing that they were moans. Realizing what those moans meant, he knew he couldn't afford to wait until they were done. He stormed through the door to see the very thing he knew was going on.

Two nude men were there on the bed, one man riding the other man with his arms and legs around the latter's torso. Their faces showed only that of pleasure. But when the first man noticed Haruhiko, he jumped in shock.

"What the hell, Haruhiko!" the man yelled, "Can't we have any privacy?"

The emperor only crossed his arms and glared at the two men. "Naturally I would give you whatever privacy you need. However considering that this is urgent, I require your abilities now. And refrain from calling me by my name! I am your emperor!"

The first man only got off his partner and the bed to toss clothes to the other before putting some on himself. "Yeah, yeah, you're the emperor!" he mocked as he clothed himself, "I get it. Let me guess; both Shinoda and Kaoruko were unable to stop Akihiko?"

"For someone that spends his time doing nothing but eat, sleep, and have intercourse with your partner, you get your info right," Haruhiko replied before stepping out, "I trust you both will be able to stop him. After all, you are Damonen Knights #2 and #3, the Day and Night Duo."

**Pinkshuchan: And finally it's done. Sorry you had to wait. We finally move on from Erden and move to the next continent. What will it be? Who will the next ally be? Read and Review everyone!**


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